


The Ten Commandments of Fake Marriage

by jekisawrites



Series: The Ten Commandments of Fake Marriage [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Best Friends, Best Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fake Dating, Fake Marriage, they are all idiots, zayn is mentioned eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:34:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 101,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25425493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jekisawrites/pseuds/jekisawrites
Summary: Anna Katherine and Niall Horan have been best friends since their third year of college. They do everything together – endure Anna Katherine’s overbearing mother, listen to their two best friends bicker every time they’re in the same room, heal her broken heart after a messy breakup. They even live together. When Niall is about to get kicked out of the country, it just makes sense for them to deal with that together, too.Harry Styles and Natalie Thompson despise being in the same room as the other, but when they hear the plan that their best friends come up with, they decide to put away their differences and be the friends Niall and Anna Katherine need them to be. They didn’t expect to actually begin to like each other.
Relationships: Harry/OFC, Niall/OFC - Relationship
Series: The Ten Commandments of Fake Marriage [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891033
Comments: 37
Kudos: 19





	1. First Commandment

**Author's Note:**

> [ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/187862846@N02/50365631321/in/dateposted-public/)
> 
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/187862846@N02/50365627921/in/dateposted-public/)  
> 
> 
> First, hello friends. I’ve missed the 1dff community. 
> 
> Second, some of you might remember my fic UDDUP, this is it’s reboot. Other than the basic plot and characters, everything has changed. So you shouldn’t be bored if you read this lol.
> 
> Lately I have found myself reading 1d fic again, and it made me realize how much i missed writing for this community. I gave a friend a choice between three fics that I would go back and either finish or rewrite, and she chose UDDUP/the ten commandments of fake marriage. I really hope you guys enjoy reading it even half as much as we’ve enjoyed writing and talking about it. 
> 
> Lastly, shout out [Eriza/booksncoffee](https://booksncoffee.tumblr.com/) for this wonderful banner. I know I’ve already told you, but it really did exceed all my expectations.
> 
> Happy reading!

**First Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Drinketh From The Carton.**

_ Anna Katherine slouched on the stool, “If we’re going to do this, we need a list of rules.”  _

_ Niall nodded, “Yeah, totally. I’m with you on that.”  _

_ She was confused when he disappeared, but when he came back with a pen and paper she understood and started laughing when she saw him write  _ The Ten Commandments of Our Fake Marriage.  __

_ “I’m coming up with the first one, and don’t even try to argue with me or I’m taking back my agreement,” Anna Katherine expected him to complain, but Niall just rolled his eyes. She thought for a moment, but when she saw him go to the fridge and grab the milk, she knew exactly what the first commandment was going to be. “You can’t drink milk straight from the carton.”  _

_ Niall’s eyes slowly met Anna Katherine’s over the rim of the milk jug before carefully placing it on the counter. “That’s cruel.”  _

_ “And you’re gross.”  _

_ “This is such a beautiful start to our marriage, Kit.”  _ _  
  
_

* * *

Anna Katherine stared at her friend in shock, “I’m sorry, _ what?” _

Niall was shirtless and raiding the fridge for leftovers. She didn’t have the energy to scold him for eating her leftover Mexican from the night before. “I’m getting deported.” 

“Yeah, I got that part.” She blinked at him, and tried really hard not to start yelling at him, “That last part. Surely I didn’t hear you correctly.” 

He glanced at her, not looking at all apologetic enough for her liking. He dumped the food out on a plate and shoved it in the microwave before answering, “I told them you and I had been dating a while and were talking about getting married. So, as long as you and I get married within the next few months, I don’t have to go back to Ireland and lose my job.” 

She was silent for a moment, and it was only during that silence that Niall began to look somewhat bashful. As soon as he took his food out of the microwave, she grabbed some off his plate and shoved it in her mouth. 

“Ow! My tongue.” 

“It’s hot, you idiot.” Niall added unhelpfully. 

“Don’t call me an idiot. Especially when you just told someone that  _ we’re getting married!”  _

“It’s not that big of a deal, Kit.” 

“You do understand that everyone is going to have to believe this, right? It’s not just going to be the government or whatever,” She waved her hands around exasperated. “Like, our families, our  _ moms _ , not to mention our friends!” 

He shrugged, “My mum already thinks we’re half in love anyway. She won’t be surprised at all. I’m sure she has the wedding planned already.” 

“Yeah, that’s  _ your  _ mom. Mine is going to flip.” 

He smirked, “So does that mean you agree to this?” 

Anna Katherine glanced at the clock on the oven. She had five minutes to get ready for work, and her hair was a mess and she was still in her pajamas. “No. I’m not agreeing to anything.” She frowned when his face fell, “But,” She started, already hating herself for this, “I will think about it.” 

“Have I mentioned how much I love you and that you’re the best friend I could ever ask for?” 

“I would say flattery will get you nowhere, but… keep going.” She slid off the stool and went to their shared bathroom to brush her teeth. She wasn’t surprised when Niall showed up leaning against the doorframe with his plate of foot balancing in one hand and twirling a fork in the other.

“Oh, beautiful and perfect Anna Katherine! No one is worthy of your friendship! How blessed am I that you decide to grace me with your presence!” 

He was going over the top with it, but Anna Katherine truly didn’t mind. He kept going as she changed and got ready for work, and by the time she was walking out the door, she was breathless from laughter. 

“Goodbye, Niall. That’s enough flattery for now. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” 

“Right. I’ll see you on my lunch break.” 

“If you don’t bring me lunch from that deli across from the office, I’m not going to agree to anything.” 

His eyes crinkled from the smile he was trying to hide from her, “Yes, ma’am.” 

Anna Katherine met Niall while tailgating during her sophomore year. He was good friends with her then boyfriend, and he was suddenly just  _ there.  _ When her and the boyfriend had a messy breakup, she got to keep Niall in the divorce. Jonah, the boyfriend, got to keep most everything else including her dignity, but she felt she came out as the winner because of Niall. They’ve been best friends since that first day they met, and Anna Katherine is thankful for that every day when she remembers how much rent costs and how little she actually makes. If Niall hadn’t agreed to be roommates when they graduated, she’d be screwed. She owes Niall a lot. 

Niall graduated with an accounting degree, and she graduated with a degree in general social sciences. Her parents had told her that it would make it difficult to find a job, but she hadn’t cared at the time. Now she makes a living as a bartender, and if it wasn’t for Niall, she would still be living with her parents. Since graduating, she’s been working on building her reputation as a freelance photographer. She gets hired for a lot of graduation portraits and family, proposals, and the occasional wedding. She still can’t make a living off of that alone, but at least she still gets to do what she loves.

All things considered, she enjoyed her job at the bar. It was downtown and squished between an art gallery she enjoyed to visit before work and a coffee shop that stayed open late and served the best tomato basil soup. On rough nights, she could call in an order and pick it up without losing much of her break. The job also allowed her to meet interesting characters and visit with her friends when they decided to come in for a drink. That wasn’t as often as it used to be since they all had to “grow up” and be “responsible,” but every once in a while, a familiar face would pop up. 

Natalie Marie Thompson was the most frequent of those familiar faces, and she just happened to be Anna Katherine’s best friend who she’s known since middle school. Very little happened in either of their lives where the other didn’t also know nearly immediately after it happened. Niall’s ridiculous proposal was definitely one of the things Anna Katherine needed to talk to her about, which is why Nat came and sat at the bar while she worked. 

Nat looked as dumbfounded as Anna Katherine felt, “I’m going to need you to start from the beginning. I really don’t understand what’s happening right now.” 

Kit cocked an eyebrow while she mixed drinks for the group of college girls on the other side of the bar, “Yeah, you can join the club.” 

In between taking orders and making drinks, she was able to tell Nat how her evening started: with Niall Horan waking her up from a last minute nap before her shift and telling her they were getting married. 

“Wait, did he ask or just… say it?” 

Anna Katherine shrugged, “I’m not really sure. I was still half asleep, and you know how I am when I first wake up.” 

“He probably thought catching you off guard and half asleep was his best chance at you agreeing.” Nat’s eyes got wide when she saw the look Anna Katherine gave her, “You’re not really thinking about marrying him, are you? If they find out it’s not legit, you can go to jail!” 

She shrugged again, “What else am I supposed to do? He’s going to be shipped off if I don’t do this for him.” 

“Anna Katherine, it is not your job to clean up Niall’s messes. He messed up with his visa, not you. This is his problem to fix.” 

“Yeah, but if I can help him…” 

“No but’s, Kit. I’m serious. This is a bad idea.” 

Anna Katherine stared at the glass she was drying off instead of looking at her friend. If Nat saw her, she’d know that Anna Katherine was nearly already set on agreeing to do this. After all, it was  _ Niall _ . She couldn’t say no to him. Even if she could say no to Niall, he had done so much for her during their friendship. Maybe this was the one thing she could do for him in return. 

If someone off the street asked Niall who his best friend was, he wouldn’t even hesitate before saying Anna Katherine Tran. If someone from his friend group asked, he’d say Harry Styles, mainly because he didn’t want to listen to his friend whine if he said anyone else. And it is true – Harry is a close friend and one of the best, but nobody compares to Kit. Which was why it made complete sense to him to marry her to get out of this mess he found himself in. 

When Harry came over for a guys night to watch football, the first thing out of Niall’s mouth was, “Apparently I forgot to renew my visa.” 

Harry froze, and then very carefully placed the six pack he brought with him on the counter, “What do you mean? I reminded you every day for a month.” 

“Yeah, well, y’know…” Niall trailed off before walking over and putting the beer in the fridge, “It’s all a real mess right now. Unless I figure something out, which I think I have, I’m getting deported.” 

Harry blinked once and furrowed his brows, “And what mad plan have you come up with now?” 

Niall turned around to face Harry and whatever reaction he was about to have, “I asked Kit to marry me.” 

Another blink and then, “Mate.” 

“Don’t look at me like that.” Niall rolled his eyes and grabbed the takeout menus from the drawer Kit always stuffs them in. Niall prefered them on the fridge or even neatly organized in the drawer instead of stuffed halfhazardly, but there are some battles with Kit he just didn’t have the energy for. 

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Harry asked while looking through the menus Niall dumped in front of him. 

“Why wouldn’t it be? Better than the alternative, innit?” 

Harry didn’t miss a beat, “You’re already fully in love with the girl.” 

Niall shot him a glare, “I am  _ not  _ in love with Anna Katherine.” 

Harry chuckled, “Alright, fine. You’re definitely keen on her though.” He stopped flipping through the menus and handed Niall one from the Thai restaurant him and Kit ordered from at least once a week, “This one.” 

Niall took the menu from him and grabbed his phone to call in their order, “Being keen on someone and being in love with someone are two different things. We live together. She’s fit as. It was bound to happen. It’ll go away, though. We’ve been friends for too long for it not to.” 

Niall ignored the disbelieving look Harry gave him and dialled the restaurant’s number. Thankfully, Harry didn’t bring it up for the rest of the night. 

The next day Anna Katherine woke up with the worst migraine known to man. It was nearly noon when she rolled over in search of her phone, and it took another thirty minutes for her to find the motivation to get out of bed in search of medicine. It was only when she opened the medicine cabinet that she remembered she’d taken the last of her migraine medicine last month during what was quite possibly the worst period of her entire life. 

_ Kit _ _  
_ _ Pls tell me u havent left yet.  _

_ Niall  _ _  
_ _ Walking out of the deli with lunch rn  _ _  
_ _ Why whats wrong  _

_ Kit _ _  
_ _ My migraine is about to kill me  _ _  
_ _ Can you pick up some medicine on ur way home?  _

_ Niall  _

_ Yep sure  _ _  
_ _ Anything else?  _

_ Kit _ _  
_ _ A gatorade wouldnt hurt  _

_ Niall   
_ _ You got it.  _

If Anna Katherine wasn’t sure she was about to die from the pain behind her eyes, she’d send a flurry of heart emojis. Instead, she turned off all the lights in the apartment, closed the blinds, and curled up on the couch under the blanket Niall’s mom knitted for her last Christmas, and it didn’t take long for her to fall back asleep. 

She woke up to bags rustling, something falling on the floor, and Niall cursing under his breath. 

“You’re shit at being quiet, Ni.” 

He grimaced at the sound of her voice, “I really was trying to be quiet.” 

Anna Katherine sat up and when she noticed the small carton in Niall’s hands, she smiled, “What’s that you got there?” 

Niall looked down at the ice cream in his hands almost as if he had forgotten about it, “Oh, I got you some mint choc chip. I know it’s your favorite.” 

Anna Katherine made grabby-hands at it, making him laugh, “You’re going to ruin your appetite, Kit-Kat.” 

She huffed, “I’m the one with the migraine. Just give me what I want before I decide not to help you not get deported.” 

He laughed again, but grabbed a spoon and brought her the ice cream. He went back for their sandwiches, and when he joined her on the couch, he lifted her feet up to make room for himself before letting them fall on his lap. For a moment, he watched as she shoveled the ice cream in her mouth, and then he asked, “So, does this mean you decided?” 

She gave him a side-eye, “You knew I wouldn’t be able to say no to you, not even for something as ridiculous and outlandish as this. Which, kinda makes me hate you. But, yeah. I decided.” 

He beamed at her, and she rolled her eyes. 

“I promise you won’t regret this!” 

“Pretty sure I already do.” 

He gave her legs a pat, “Don’t worry that pretty little head of yours. This will all work out. I know it.” 

She took another bite of ice cream before saying, “You know all of our friends and family are going to be shocked. Harry and Nat aren’t going to believe us at all. Mainly because I already told Nat about your mad idea.” 

His lips lifted in a smirk, “Yeah, I told Harry, too. I guess we need to come up with a game plan, huh?” 

When she nodded, he went on, “You don’t work tonight, right? We can figure everything out when I get home before you go see your brother.” 

“Alexander has other plans tonight, so I’m all yours tonight, Ni.” 

“Music to my ears.” 

Two nights later, Anna Katherine was walking to the college library to meet up with her brother while Nat was on the phone lecturing her. 

“This is just…” She huffed, “You and that boy have had a lot of stupid ideas, I’m not going to lie. But this one really takes the cake. None of this is going to end well.” 

Anna Katherine looked both ways before jogging across the street, “I don’t know why you’re so against this.” 

There was silence, and then she heard Nat sigh, “I don’t want you to get hurt, Kit.” 

Anna Katherine laughed, “It’s  _ Niall.  _ He’s the last person on this damn planet that would ever hurt me.” 

There was another bout of silence, and Anna Katherine knew her friend was overthinking everything that could go wrong with this plan. 

“I’m sure Harry supports this plan wholeheartedly. It’s just the right amount of stupid for him to be a part of.” 

“Actually, Niall says he’s pretty against it as well.” 

“And yet the two of you are still going to ignore your best friends. This is crazy!” 

Anna Katherine let out a soft laugh, “Look, as much as I am enjoying you lecturing me and calling me mad, I’m at the library and see Alex walking out. I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Don’t get married between now and tomorrow.” 

“No promises.” 

_ “Anna Katherine Tran!” _

“Bye, Natalie!” 

She jogged the rest of the way to her older brother and leaned into him when he spread his arms out for a hug, “How’s the thesis coming along?” 

Alexander Tran was two years older than Anna Katherine, and their parent’s pride and joy. Where she struggled to make it through college and simply wanted to study the arts, Alex thrived and followed their father’s footsteps in biomedical engineering. He has an internship position at the University’s hospital, graduated top in his class, and is now furthering his education. He’s everything their parents wished she was, and she had every right to feel bitter towards him because of it. Fortunately for both of them, he’s one of her favorite people in the entire world. 

He grunted, “It’s not. Let’s talk about anything but.” 

“Well…” She pulled away from Alex and started twisting her fingers making them pop, an awful nervous habit that her mother hated that she started in high school, “I have news.” 

He cocked an eyebrow as they started walking away from the library, “Oh?” 

“Mhm.” 

Alex smirked, “Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess?” 

She let out a nervous laugh, “I don’t think you’d ever be able to guess this one.” 

He glanced back at her, “Yeah, well out with it then. You’ve got me thinking you got knocked up or eloped.” 

She choked on air, and he stopped walking to stare at her wide-eyed, “Please tell me I’m not an uncle, Kit!” 

She slapped his arm, “I’m not pregnant! It’s just… I, um… Well, you see…” 

“What the hell? Get it out, woman.”

“NiallandIaregettingmarriedsohewon’tgetdeported,” She mumbled in one long breath.

Technically, she wasn’t supposed to tell him it was a sham wedding, but she had always been shit at lying to her brother. Niall should’ve expected this. 

Alex went still, and in the calmest voice she had ever heard him speak in, he said, “I must’ve misunderstood you, because there is no way in hell that you just said what I think you just said.” 

She stared up at him, “You can’t tell Mom and Dad!” 

“Obviously!” He threw his hands in the air, “They’d skin you alive if they knew you were  _ breaking the law!  _ Because that’s what you’re doing, Kit. You know that, right?” 

“Yes, Nat has repeated that several times.” 

“At least one of your friends has sense.” He eyed her like he had never seen her until now, “What are you telling the ‘rents?” 

She shrugged, “The truth. Kinda. That Niall asked me to marry him. We’ll tell them that we’ve been dating a little while, but keeping it lowkey because neither of us wanted the pressure of family and friends knowing. Plus, mom would flip if she thought I was living with a boyfriend. Niall-just-the-friend was hard enough for her.” 

Alex shook his head, “If I go home and see gray hair, it’s all you.” 

“You tell me that nearly weekly anyway.” 

He ruffled her hair and smiled when she glared at him, “Yeah, well now I mean it.” They start walking again, and he gives her another glance, “There’s no talking you out of this one, is there?” 

She shook her head, “Gotta help my friend out.” 

Alex mumbled something unintelligible under his breath and draped his arm over her shoulders, “I’m accepting this… for now. But you’re paying for dinner tonight.” 

After dinner, the two of them went back to her and Niall’s apartment. She was expecting it to be empty, but instead she was greeted with Niall, Harry, and Nat all together on the couch watching  _ 100 Humans  _ on Netflix. 

Nat twisted around at the sound of the door closing, and when she saw Alex she smiled, “Surely you talked sense into your sister!” 

Alex shook his head, “I knew it was a losing battle.” 

Niall spun around, “You told him?!” 

Harry punched him in the arm, “Of course she did. Other than you, she tells Alex everything. You should’ve seen this coming, man.” 

Niall shot him a glare, then looked at Anna Katherine with squinted eyes, “No one else can know. I’m serious, Kit.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” 

She went over to them and squeezed herself between Harry and Niall, only for Harry to shove her off the couch. “The only Tran sibling that has the honor of sitting that close to me is Alexander, Kit.” 

“Ugh, don’t be such a jerk, Harry.” Nat slid off the couch and sat next to Anna Katherine who had positioned herself between Niall’s legs. Alex went to sit next to Harry, and Harry didn’t waste any time smacking a loud kiss against his cheek. “You know, someone asked me if you two were dating the other day.” 

Alex looked like he could care less, and Harry looked  _ gleeful  _ about this news, “Really? If only I could be so honored. I’d date him in a second if I wasn’t such a ladies man.” 

Alex laughed, “Feeling is mutual, Styles.” 

Anna Katherine ignored her friends chatter, something she mastered long ago, and tilted her head back to look at Niall. “Hi.” 

He smiled, “Hi back.” 

“How was your day?” 

He ran his fingers through her hair and twisted it off to the side, “Not too bad. Bit lazy, if I’m honest.” 

“Lucky you.” 

“How was work?” 

She gave a small shrug, “Alright. Tips were shit, though.” 

He hummed sympathetically, “You work the night shift tomorrow, yeah? I’m sure it’ll make up for today.” 

“Yeah, maybe.” She closed her eyes as he kept running his fingers through her hair. 

“Hey, Anna Katherine?” 

“Hm?” 

“Thank you.” 

She opened her eyes at that and smiled up at him, “Anything for my favorite human.” 

That night, Harry walked Nat home. It was one of the few times the two were by themselves without Niall or Anna Katherine as a buffer. They’d never gotten along, not even in college. They knew exactly how to push each other’s buttons, and there were times where Niall or Anna Katherine banned them from even looking at each other. On this night, though, walking home together, they were getting along if only because they shared a common anxiety. 

“You know this is going to ruin them, right?” 

Nat nodded, “Can’t say I’m not worried about them.” 

Harry guided her across the street with a gentle hand to her back, “We should try to stop them, right?” 

She snorted in a very unladylike manner. “You really think either of those two would listen to us? They’d die for each other.” 

“So we’re just supposed to sit on the sidelines and watch them implode?” 

She cut her eyes at him, “At least we’ll be around to pick up the pieces of the aftermath.” 

Harry sighed, “I’m going to have to ask my doc for anxiety meds, aren’t I?” 

Surprising even herself, Nat laughed, “Yeah, probably. You’d have to share with me, though.” 

“How’d you think the parents are going to react?” 

“Her mom is going to  _ freak.”  _

“Maura will be over the moon, probably.” 

“At least watching this trainwreck happen will be entertaining.” 

This time, Harry laughed, “Yeah, at least there’s that.” 


	2. Second Commandment

**Second Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Tell Anyone Past, Present, or Future That Our Marriage Is A Sham.**

_ “No one can know the truth of why we’re getting married. Even Alex.”  _

_ Anna Katherine pulled at her bottom lip, “Except for H and Nat.”  _

_ Niall’s eyes crinkled, “Right, other than them.”  _

_ She was quiet for a moment, thinking about all the people they were about to lie to. “I’m awful at lying to my brother.”  _

_ “Well between now and whenever you tell him, you better get better at it.”  _

_ Anna Katherine flipped him off, and he ignored her and handed her a cookie.  _

* * *

As a bartender, Anna Katherine worked mostly nights. Sundays were the only regularly scheduled shifts where she came in for the brunch crowd, which she enjoyed because of the tips. Every once and awhile, the bar manager would schedule her for another day shift, but it wasn’t that often. It was because of this – and Niall having a normal 9-5 job – that she rarely saw Niall during the day throughout the week. A couple times during the week, he’d come home for lunch or he’d do his best to get home before she left for her shift, and at times, that was the only chance she had to see him. If one or both of them had several rough weeks in a row where they hadn’t seen each, it wasn’t strange for Anna Katherine to drop lunch off for Niall at work for a quick hello, or for Niall to show up and spend his evenings with her at the bar. 

Since Niall sprung the whole “I’m getting deported please marry me since you’re my best friend” thing on her, it meant she hadn’t had a chance to ask off a night so they could tell her parents. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to, but she highly doubted they could manage to get through this entire sham without telling them. She ended up having to switch shifts with a coworker, which forced her to work a double on Friday, and in turn, had all of Saturday off. She’d been begging for a Saturday off for weeks now, but telling her parents she was suddenly engaged to her roommate and best friend was not exactly how she imagined spending her Saturday off once she finally got it.

“I can’t believe I’m about to lie to my parents about what is possibly one of the most important things in my life.” 

She was hanging off the couch, her hair trailing over their wooden floor with Niall sitting in front of her sharing his fries. 

“It’s going to be fine, Kit-Kat.” 

She grabbed the fry he handed her, “You keep saying that, and it’s beginning to lose meaning.” 

“You gotta look at the positive, mate! Sure, we might be lying to everyone we care about, but we’re about to get tax benefits  _ and  _ I’m not about to be shipped away by your kooky government!” 

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel better.” 

Niall ignored her and kept going, “I took a Psych class once with Harry and Louis, and that professor said that people who were married lived longer. I’m basically giving you extra years. You’re welcome.” 

“I’m pretty sure being in love has more to do with that than actual marriage.” 

“Are you saying you don’t love me? I’m hurt, Kit.” 

“Of course I love you. I’m just not in love with you.” 

“Fair ‘nough.” He pops a fry in his mouth and hands her another, “I’m going out with H in a bit, but I’ll be back in time to help you start dinner for your parents.”

Anna Katherine nodded, which was awkward with her hanging upside down, but then again, so was eating. “S’fine. Just don’t leave me to have to tell them all by myself.” 

“Course not.” He munched on another fry, and then turned to her all serious, “Don’t forget we have to act all in love and such.” 

She scrunched up her face, “Ugh. Gross. Why did I agree to this?” 

“‘Cause I’m your best friend, Kitten.” He booped her nose, and she scrunched her face up even more in response. 

“Yeah, unfortunately.” 

“Thanks for coming with me today.” 

Niall took a break from staring out the window to look at Harry, “Yeah, it’s no problem. You just gotta get me back home in time to help Kit with dinner.” 

Harry shot him a glance, “You nervous? Her parents can be intense.” 

He shrugged, “Not really. It’s not like it’s real.” 

“But her parents need to think it’s legit. Or did you forget?” Harry drummed his fingers on the steering wheel along with a Fleetwood Mac song that was playing from one of his many playlists. 

“Of course I didn’t forget. How could I forget?” 

“Well, you did forget to renew your visa, so I just needed to make sure.” 

“Fuck you, Styles.” 

“No, thanks though.” 

Niall watched him drive as he turned off the main street and onto a road that led out of town, “What’re we doing anyway?” 

“I didn’t say? We’re going to the animal shelter.” 

“Why?” 

Harry smirked and Niall knew what that meant all too well, “I met this girl last week, and she said she volunteers here. I lost her number, so I was going to come here, pretend to be pet shopping, and act surprised when I see her.” 

“That’s an awful plan.” 

“Not as awful of a plan as illegally marrying your best friend who you might be in love with just so you won’t have to go back to Ireland.” 

“I am not in love with her.” 

“Okay, sure.” 

Niall and Harry were roommates all four years of college, so Niall was mostly used to his, as Nat would say, not well thought out plans to get the girl. Niall just never thought they’d be going to an animal shelter to help Harry get a date. But he also never thought he would be threatened to be deported, so he doesn’t have much ground to stand on here. 

When they arrived at the shelter, Niall went straight to the dogs. Harry might’ve wanted him to be a wingman, but Niall would much rather see the four-legged, tail-wagging, smiling dogs that started yipping and barking as soon as they had pulled up. That had been his first mistake. 

His second mistake was spotting a mutt a few kennels down who was sitting in the corner staring at him. He ended up in front of the dog, and read the info sheet. 

“Hi, my name is Fox! I’m a coon hound mutt who likes barking at thunder, and even though I’m much too large, I still think I’m a lap dog! I love cuddles, treats, and playing fetch, but only with people I trust. I think cats are chew toys and other dogs scare me, so I need to go to a home without any other furbabies. If you take me home, I will love you forever and ever.” Niall glanced at the dog again, “Well, Fox, don’t you just sound adorable.” 

“Pet shopping today?” 

The voice from behind startled him, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. When he looked back, he saw one of the workers in their blue polo and khaki cargo pants uniform. “Oh, uh, no. Just here with a friend.” 

He felt something wet against his fingers, and when he looked down he saw Fox licking his fingers through the fence wire and slowly wagging her tail. 

“That’s a shame. She doesn’t warm up to a lot of people right away, and it seems like she’s already fond of you.” 

Niall knelt down, “You’re picky one, aren’t ya? I can relate to that.” He reached through the gate and scratched her chin, “You really are a cutie.” 

Ten minutes later, Niall is in their office signing papers and handing them his card for the adoption fee. Harry still hadn’t reappeared, and Niall definitely hadn’t called Kit before signing the papers. That was his third mistake. 

When he walked out of the office he had new pet ownership papers, a new pet parent pamphlet, and Fox who was leading him away on the leash the shelter had given him. 

He reached down and rubbed her ear, “Your new mom is going to be so excited when she sees you. I can’t wait to see her face.” 

They walked to Harry’s car, and it was then when Niall finally spotted Harry leaning against the car. 

When Niall got close enough, he called out, “Where’d you disappear off to?” 

Harry looked up from his phone, “Went looking for the girl. She’s not here today, so this was a useless trip.” It was then that Harry seemed to notice the dog that was with Niall, “And what do we have here?” 

“This,” Niall said proudly, “Is Fox.” 

Anna Katherine spent the day cleaning the apartment. Niall and her were typically very clean people, but something she learned very early on is that nothing is clean according to her mom’s standards. Unless, of course, Alex did the cleaning. The amount of times as a kid she did the same amount as her brother, but while he got the praise, all she got was critique was truly staggering. She thought she might’ve gotten used to it by now, but the thought of her parents coming over for dinner – to be told of her spontaneous engagement no less – put her on edge. 

She was obsessively scrubbing the baseboards when her phone rang, and it was none other than Golden Boy himself. 

She stopped hunching over to clean the baseboards and sat on her haunches, “Alex.” 

“Wow, don’t sound so thrilled to hear from me.” 

She huffed out a breath and sat up, “It’s not that.” 

“You’re cleaning, aren’t you? I can hear it in your voice.” 

Anna Katherine sometimes hated how well her brother could read her, even over the phone. “Alex, I  _ loathe  _ cleaning when I know she’s going to be around.” 

“Mom isn’t that bad, Kit.” 

If Alex were there, she would have hit him, “Yeah, for you maybe. Whenever I do it, it’s never good enough!” 

“That’s not true.”

“Did you call to piss me off or is there another reason?” She put the phone on speaker and went back to scrubbing. 

“Sheesh, you’re really anxious about this dinner aren’t you?” 

“ _ Alex _ .” 

“Right. I was just calling to say that I’m coming tonight. Something tells me that you and our parents are going to need a buffer.” 

She took her frustration out on the poor baseboards, “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” 

“You’re being impossible today.” 

“Mom would say I’m impossible every day.” 

“I see this conversation is going nowhere.” 

She stopped scrubbing again to glare at the phone, “You could’ve at least told me you were coming yesterday when I was buying the groceries.” 

“I’ll only eat the salad if you don’t have enough.” 

“Sure, and then Mom will accuse me of trying to starve you to death.” 

“And on that note, I’m hanging up. I’ll see you at seven!” 

And then, as if orchestrated by the devil himself, Niall and Harry walked through the door. With a dog. And bags full of what looked like toys, beds, and food. 

She stood up, hands immediately going to her hips, “What the hell is this?” 

Niall had been smiling, but hearing her tone, it slowly slipped off, “Uh, this is Fox. You and I adopted her today.” 

If she had been a cartoon, steam would have been streaming out of her ears. She took a deep breath, “Niall, please tell me you did not adopt a dog on the same day we have to tell my parents we’re engaged. Please tell me you thought that through and realized what a horrendous idea that was. Please tell me she’s just here for the ride, and Harry’ll take her back in a bit.” 

He scratched his neck, which was a sure sign that he was nervous, “Well, I would, but I’d be lying.” 

_ “Niall!”  _

“What?! We’ve been talking about getting a dog for ages now!” 

“Yeah, but you didn’t even discuss this with me beforehand!” 

Niall looked down at Fox who was sitting at his feet staring up at him. Eventually he looked back at Anna Katherine, and when he spoke again his voice was softer, “I thought you’d be happy about this.” 

She rubbed her hands over her face, and they smelled strongly of bleach reminding her of how she had spent her day while Niall was off gallivanting with Harry and buying a damn dog. “Any other day, Niall, and I would be. But my  _ parents  _ are coming tonight. I’ve been cleaning all day. And now you just waltz in here with… with…” 

“Fox.” 

“You just waltz in with Fox, and you didn’t even  _ think  _ to talk to me before you made this big decision.” 

She was so focused on Niall, she hadn’t seen Nat walk in until she spoke up, “Wow, already with the marital arguments, I see. Really selling this whole couple thing.” 

Anna Katherine didn’t know if she wanted to cry, shoot all her friends, hug the dog, or all the above. “What are you doing here?” 

Harry, who had made himself at home on the couch and had listened to them bickering with more amusement than what was called for in Anna Katherine’s opinion, finally spoke up, “Oh, we’re calling a Winning Wookies Meeting.” 

Back in college, the four of them participated in a nerf gun war between their entire class. Harry and Niall came up with the name, and while Anna Katherine was fine with it, Nat hated it from the beginning. 

Niall perked up, “The Winning Wookies making a comeback!” 

Nat rolled her eyes, “More like The Annoying Twats.” 

Harry furrowed his brows, “Heyyyy.” 

“That’s not even alliteration, Natalie,” Niall said, sounding more serious than any of the others. 

“Hey, I’m not part of the Annoying Twat gang.” 

Nat gave her a look, “You agreed to marry  _ this,”  _ she pointed a finger at Niall, “Twat, just so he can get his green card. That automatically puts you in that group.” 

Niall glared, “The Winning Wookies are held close to our hearts. I can’t believe you’re still hating on it.” 

“We never even won! We came in second place!” 

“Winning isn’t everything!” 

“Then why is it in our name, Annoying Twat!?” 

“A-lit-er-a-tion! Do you know what that is? How did you even graduate college?” 

Cry. Anna Katherine definitely wanted to cry. She sat down on the floor where she’d been standing, and Fox came up to her and licked her face. She sighed and buried her face in the dog’s fur. It took a while, but eventually her friends stopped bickering and noticed her sitting on the floor with Fox. 

“Kit? Are you okay?” Niall crouched in front of her. 

She nodded, “Yep. Sure. Just waiting on you three to grow up.” 

“Oof.” 

“Ouch.” 

Niall let out a breathy laugh, “Yeah, we probably deserved that.” 

She peeked up at him over Fox’s head, “Probably?” 

He smirked, “Fine. We definitely deserved that. How about we go join the others and find out why our friends are calling a meeting?” 

They were all sitting on the floor with Fox situated in the middle of them with a chew toy. Harry began by clearing his throat, “So, as we are all aware, Natalie and I have called a Winning Wookies meeting.” 

Niall shot a glare at Nat, “Don’t start.” 

“I wasn’t going to, idiot.”

“ _ Anyway,”  _ Harry went on. “Nat and I were talking and–” 

Anna Katherine laughed, “You two can do that without attempted murder?” 

“We can when we’re concerned for the two of you.” 

Harry threw up his hands, “Since when is it acceptable to interrupt?” 

The three of them did their best to look apologetic.

“As I was saying,” Harry went on, “The two of us were talking, and we realized that we can’t talk you out of this plan.” 

Nat nodded, “And we’re your best friends, so we’re going to support you as much as we can.” 

“And help out however we can.” 

“Which means, we’ve come up with a plan.” 

Niall and Anna Katherine glanced at each other and then back at their friends, “A plan?” 

Nat nodded again, “Yep. If you’re going to illegally get married like two idiots, you can’t get caught. I will not have a friend in jail for something this ridiculous. I’m a teacher, it’ll ruin the perfect reputation I’ve worked so hard on building.” 

“You two have really got to sell this whole in love thing. It’s going to be easy to convince some people–” 

“Like my mom,” Niall added.

“Right.” Harry nodded once and his curls fell in front of his face, “But it’s going to be harder to sell it to others.” 

Anna Katherine sighed, “Like  _ my  _ mom.” 

Nat tried to give her an encouraging smile, “Yeah, but also all of our other friends who have no idea what’s happening.” 

At the panicked looks from Niall and Anna Katherine, Harry laughed, “See? You two didn’t even think of that yet, did you? Lucky for you, you two did at least one thing right in your lives when you decided to befriend us.” 

Nat clasped her hands together in front of her, “We’re going to throw you two a ‘surprise’ engagement party. Everyone knows how close Harry and I are to the two of you, so if they see Harry and I supporting this and not being thrown by it, they’ll be more likely to go along with it!” 

Harry looked like they had just solved world peace, “Exactly! And if they have questions – which they will – we’ll just tell them you two wanted to keep it private and only told a select few people but–” 

“You two were just so in love you couldn’t hide it anymore–” 

“And wanted to get married as soon as you could.” 

“It’s fireproof!” 

Anna Katherine shot Niall with a nervous glance. By the look on his face, he was just as surprised as she was by all of this, “I wouldn’t say it’s fireproof, but it’s definitely more planning than Kit and I have done.” 

Nat waved away his concern, “It’s going to be fine. You two are just going to have to really sell it with the PDA and heart eyes.” 

“And when is this surprise engagement party going to happen?” 

“Thursday night.” Again, Harry looked proud of himself, “Don’t worry, Kit. We called to make sure you had that night off.” 

They talked for a little longer about the details of the party, but when Anna Katherine saw what time it was, she stood up. “I gotta start cooking dinner. You guys can stick around for a little while if you want, but gotta be gone before seven.” 

Harry and Nat looked confused. 

“Oh, we were going to join you guys for dinner,” Harry said. 

Nat nodded as if it were obvious, “Yeah, we’re practically family anyway.” 

Anna Katherine felt more than saw Niall give her a nervous glance. 

“Guys…” Niall started. 

“First Alex and then you guys,” Anna Katherine was only a little aware of how shrill her voice sounded. “Did any of you think to tell me you planned to join us? I don’t have enough food to feed all of you people! I’m not going to have enough food, the apartment still isn’t clean, the dog – which I wasn’t even told about – isn’t set up. My mom is going to think I am a complete failure and ban me from ever being someone’s wife because of what a disgrace to the entire womanhood I am! Niall is going to be shipped off to Ireland because my mom is going to refuse to allow us to get married, and I’m going to lose all of my friends and get kicked out of my apartment and–” 

Niall was suddenly in front of her, and she gasped when he placed a hand on either side of her face, “Anna Katherine?” 

“What?” 

“Breathe.” 

She took a deep breath, and when Niall just kept staring at her, she took another and another until he gave her a soft smile. 

“Your mom is not going to ban you from marrying me, alright? We don’t need her permission anyway, and if we did, I still wouldn’t be worried because your parents love me.” 

“But–” 

“Shh.” He shook his head, “Now this is what is going to happen. You’re going to go in the kitchen and start on what you can with what you have. I’ll finish cleaning while Harry takes care of Fox, we’ll put her in my bedroom during the dinner, and our trusty Nat is going to go to the store down the road and get any ingredients you need.” 

“Yeah, but–” 

“Kit.” 

She let out a breath, “What?” 

He ducked his head down so he was eye level with her, “It’s going to be okay.” 

Behind them, Harry and Nat were watching with wide eyes. 

Timothy and Patricia Tran arrived exactly five minutes before seven with Alex trailing behind them. Niall greeted them at the door, “Timmy! It’s been too long, hasn’t it? We need to golf together again soon.” 

When Anna Katherine heard Niall greet them, her heart rate skyrocketed. She was definitely not ready for this. 

“Niall, it’s so good to see you, sweetie.” 

Anna Katherine cringed when she heard her mom. 

“How have you been?” 

“I’ve been well!” She could hear the smile in his voice, “Got a promotion last month. You’re looking at the new head financial analyst for my pod.” 

She listened to her parents shower Niall with praise, took a deep breath, and braced herself for the night ahead. She stepped out around the wall that separated their kitchen from the living room and entrance, and she was immediately noticed by her dad. 

“And there’s my beautiful daughter!” He spread his arms out, and she didn’t waste any time stepping into his hug. 

Other than Niall’s, her dad and Alex gave the best hugs she’s ever had. She smiled up at him, “Hi, Dad.” 

She stepped back and turned to her mom, “Hi, M–” 

“Anna Katherine, you look exhausted! And please tell me that’s not what you’re wearing to dinner.”

She glanced down at her clothes – jean cutoffs and an old stained concert tee. She should’ve changed before they got here, but with everything else happening, she had forgotten. 

“Yeah, uh, I meant to change earlier but it left my mind. I’ll go do that now.” 

Alex reappeared from talking with Harry and Nat, “I don’t know, Mom. I think it’s fine.” 

She shot him an appreciative smile, but it didn’t last long. 

“Alexander, you need to stop babying her. I know she’s your younger sister, but she needs to learn some responsibility eventually.” 

_ Right,  _ she thought to herself,  _ because I definitely don’t have any of that now.  _

“I’ll be right back.” She ducked out of the room to go to her bedroom. She took another deep breath once the door was closed. This was going to be a long night. 

As she finished dressing, there was a soft knock on the door, and before she could say come in, it cracked open. 

Niall stuck his head in, “You decent?” 

She threw her dirty shirt at his face, “What’s the point of knocking if you don’t even wait for an answer?” 

He ignored her, and stepped the rest of the way in her room, closing the door behind him. “I figured I needed to give you this, just so we can really make it authentic for your parents.” 

He handed her something, and when she looked down, she noticed a ring, “What’s this?” 

“Your engagement ring,” He smirked, “Which I’m told is something the guy gives the girl when he first asks.” 

“Well you never technically asked, so…” 

“Shut up and take the ring, Kit.” 

She took it from him, and was surprised when it fit on her finger. “How’d you know my ring size? It’s not real is it?” 

“Nah, I got it cheap. And Nat told me.” 

She nodded, “Makes sense.” She glanced up at him, “Guess this is really happening.” 

“Last chance to back out without making a big scene.” 

Anna Katherine reached out to squeeze his arm, “Never.” 

Anna Katherine and Niall had agreed to tell her parents the news during dessert. That way they could get through most of the night without her parents freaking out. Anna Katherine knew this, but she was still surprised when after she brought out the pie she baked, Niall cleared his throat and looked at her. 

“Timmy, Mrs. Patty,” Niall began, “Kit and I have some news we need to share with you.” 

She was glad her and Niall were sitting beside each other, and even more thankful when he placed his hand on her knee and gave it an encouraging squeeze. When she felt him start to pull away, she placed her hand on top of his to keep it there. 

Patricia gently placed her fork down and looked curiously between the two of them. All she said was, “Good news, I hope.” 

Anna Katherine chanced a look across the table at Alex, but she regretted as soon as she saw him trying to hide his laughter by shoving more pie in his mouth.

Niall chuckled, “Well, we think so. I’ll just come out with it. We’ve been dating for a couple months now. We wanted to tell both of you, but I know how you would feel about her living with a boyfriend, Mrs. Patty. We know and respect how traditional your views are, and we were going to wait until we had new living arrangements, but finding new roommates can be such a difficult thing. I’m sure you know that.” He looked at Anna Katherine once more, and she knew he was telling her this was her chance to speak up if she’d changed her mind. When she nodded, he went on, “Turns out, we just couldn’t wait, and, well, we’re engaged!” 

Silence engulfed the table, and Anna Katherine could barely find her breath. Eventually she did just in time to say, “Mom and Dad, I really hope you support us. I know it’s not how you imagined this to go, but…” 

“Niall.” Her dad’s voice stopped her cold. She snapped her mouth shut, and watched as her dad’s typical smiling face morphed to… She was shocked when she realized it was anger. 

“Yes?” 

“If I recall correctly, when her mother and I agreed the two of you could live together, I asked if you had any romantic feelings for my daughter.” 

“You did, sir, but you see…” 

“And you told me you didn’t. She was just a friend, basically a sister. That’s what you said, was it not?” 

Anna Katherine watched in horror. Out of the two of them, she expected her mom to react negatively. She hadn’t even thought of her dad. 

“It was, but that was years ago and a lot can change–” 

He cut Niall off again, “I also asked that if that happened to change at any point, you would be honest with me. Hiding your relationship with my daughter from me is far from honest, Niall.” 

“I understand that, but–” 

This time, it was Patricia who interrupted him, “Timothy, that’s enough. Leave Niall alone. He’s done nothing wrong.” 

Anna Katherine let out a sigh of relief, but when her mom turned to look at her, she realized she felt relief too soon. 

“You,” Patricia pointed to her. “How could you do this to us?” 

Anna Katherine tried to respond, but no words would come out. Thankfully, Niall came to the rescue. 

“It was hardly her doing, Mrs. Patty. I was the one who asked her.” 

Patricia smiled at Niall, “Sweetie, we know you’re innocent in all of this.” 

“ _ Innocent?!”  _

Someone kicked Niall under the table, and when Anna Katherine looked around, she realized it was Alex. 

“Mom! That’s–” 

And then the entire table went silent again when Harry blurted out, “I’m dating your son!” 

Anna Katherine, who was still looking at her brother, saw the confusion and surprise on his face, but when Harry gave him a look, he did his best to hide it. 

He chuckled, but it sounded forced, “Well, that was hardly the way I wanted to tell my parents about our relationship, but…” 

A door slammed open, and the next thing Anna Katherine knew, Fox was galloping through the apartment and climbing in her mother’s lap and eating the pecan pie off her plate. 

After Harry, Alex, and Nat finally left, Anna Katherine collapsed on the couch while Niall cleaned up the kitchen and Fox slept on the floor in front of the couch. She draped her arm over her face and let out a groan. The night hardly went smoothly, but after the Fox fiasco, everyone was distracted. It wasn’t long after that her parents left, but not without telling both her and Niall that the conversation was far from over. 

She heard Niall’s footsteps, and let out a whine when he shoved her legs off the couch so he could sit. She kicked him and then put her legs in his lap. She wanted to glare at him when he chuckled, but moving her arm to look at him seemed like too much trouble. Instead, she gave a halfhearted attempt to kick him again, but he knew what was coming and caught her foot before she could. 

He gave her leg a pat, “Tonight was fun.” 

She lifted her arm then to look at him, “I think we need to google the definition of fun because tonight definitely was not  _ fun.”  _

“You’re just being a Pessimistic Patty.” He gave her another pat, “Hey, Louis called and wanted us to meet up for drinks tonight before he leaves for that interview.” 

“Definitely not.” 

“Figured. Told him we could hang out later this week when he gets back from Dublin.” He reached over and grabbed the remote by her head, “Wanna watch something?” 

Anna Katherine let out another groan, “Something mindless. My brain can’t follow any sort of actual plot.” 

“Fair. Harry’s got me watching  _ Married at First Sight.  _ Wanna try it?” 

She used the last of her energy to let out a laugh, “Of course Harry watches that show. Sure, I don’t even care.” 

“Speaking of Harry, I can’t believe he lied to your parents just to get the heat off of us.” 

She tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace, “I guess he isn’t too bad of a friend.” 

He gave her one more pat before starting the show. 

Halfway through the first episode, both of them were fully into the show and debating whether or not the marriages were going to last. In the middle of their conversation, Niall got a snapchat from Louis that showed all of their friends at the bar. 

“I think we have officially transformed into the old married couple, Kit-Kat.” Niall twisted his phone around so she could see, “They’re all off having fun, and we’re sitting on the couch, drinking cheap wine, and watching reality TV.” 

“Oh my God, you’re right. When did this happen?” 

“I’m going to take a guess and say when we got ‘engaged.’”

Anna Katherine laughed, “Yeah. Have you realized that when all this is over, we’re actually going to be old? We’ll probably going to forget how to date between now and then.” 

“As if you know how to date now. When was the last time you went on one?” 

She gave him another kick, “That was rude.” 

Niall looked a little apologetic, “It’s true though. You haven’t been in a relationship since Jonah.” 

He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean Anna Katherine enjoyed it being pointed out, “Okay, yeah, but I have been on dates.” 

He snorted, “You’ve barely given any of those guys a chance. You nitpick them to death.” 

“I do not! I just know what I want.” 

“I just think you’re not over Jonah.” When she shot him an incredulous look, he shrugged. 

“I  _ am  _ over him. He was just my first love, and that was a messy breakup.” 

“Yeah, I was there for most of it. You don’t have to remind me.” 

She pulled her legs up and turned to face him, “Yeah, I know you were. I don’t think I would’ve survived it without you.” 

He shot her another incredulous glance, “Of course you would’ve. You had Nat, and even if you didn’t have her, you would’ve survived on your own. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.” 

“You literally had to drag me out of my bed and convince me to shower, Niall.” 

“Okay, so you would’ve smelled like an overflowing dumpster, but you still would’ve survived.” 

“You’re a dick,” She stretched out to kick him again. 

“What happened to you loving and not surviving without me? Let’s go back to that.” 

When he grabbed her feet and placed them in his lap again, she let him. “What about you? I don’t think I’ve ever known you to have a girlfriend since we’ve been out of college.” 

“I’ve had girlfriends!” 

“That lasted more than a month?” 

He had the decency to look a little bashful at that, “Okay, you’ve got a point.” 

“Those are not girlfriends. They are flings.” She poked his side, “First love. Tell me.” 

“Her name is Vivian. Completely thought I was going to marry her. She stayed in Dublin for uni, but we did the long distance thing the first few years. She ended it right before I met you, actually. I just haven’t met anyone I wanted to endure that kind of heartbreak for since then.” 

“Was it bad?” 

He shrugged, “It was a pretty clean break, but I was torn up about it.” 

“Which Great Niall Friend helped you through it?” 

He chuckled awkwardly, “Jonah, actually.” 

“Oof.” 

“I know.” He reached out and pulled her to him, “You know, at least we got those messy first loves out of the way. Heartbreak and all. I mean, if we’re going to lose this much of our single years, at least we got that out of the way early.” 

She leaned against his side, “And now we’re also going to be divorcees in our twenties as well.” 

“Over achievers, that’s what we are.” 

She reached up for a high five, “Hell yeah we are.” 

Niall started to stand up, “C’mon. Let’s take Fox out, and then we can go to bed and put this night behind us.” 

The night of the engagement party snuck up on them, and before they knew it, they were headed to their “surprise” party. Anna Katherine thought they did a pretty good job of acting surprised when they walked through the door with their friends. She was thankful that it wasn’t too big, just a few friends and coworkers. 

She yelped when someone came up and slapped her arm, “How dare you!” 

When she saw it was just her coworker, Mackenzie, she relaxed, “Oh, hey, Mack.” 

Niall leaned over and whispered, “I’m going to go say hey to Liam. I’ll be right back.” 

She nodded, still focused on Mack. 

“I’ve been asking about the two of you for months now, and you kept telling me he was just a friend!” 

“Yeah, well…” 

“I’m so pissed at you!” The smile on her face told a different story, though. “But, really, I’m happy for you. I know you’ll be happy with him.” 

Niall caught Anna Katherine’s eye on the other side of the room, and she smiled, “Yeah, he definitely makes me happy.” 

Harry and Nat had told Niall and Kit that they needed to sell being in love with PDA, so it shouldn’t have come as a shock to him when people cheered for them to kiss during the engagement party. Somehow, he still wasn’t prepared for it. 

He had his arm around her, which was normal enough for the two of them, but when Liam and his other mates started chanting for him to kiss her, he tensed up. Looking down at Kit, he saw that she was surprised too, but when she just smirked and gave him a small shrug, he knew that was her giving him permission. 

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, ignoring the boo’s erupting around them, “Last chance, Kit-Kat.” 

She rolled her eyes, “Just kiss me already, Horan.” 

And who was he to deny her? He cupped her face in his hands, rubbing her cheek with his thumb before obeying her. At first, the kiss was innocent enough, but then she opened up for him and let out a soft gasp. That sound alone made Niall want more. 

When he pulled away, she looked dazed, and he had to look away. He tried to focus on the cheers of their friends instead of the way she tasted or felt against him. 

He failed. 

The party didn’t last too long, and even if it was for a sham engagement, Anna Katherine enjoyed having their friends all in one place. After an hour or two, people started trickling out, saying their goodbyes and happy wishes to the engaged couple, and headed home to rest up for work the next day. 

Nat stood up and yawned, “As much as I love you guys, I gotta get home. I have to be at work early tomorrow.” 

Harry seemed surprised, “But I drove you here.” 

“Yeah,” She shrugged, “I’ll just get an uber.” 

“You’re more stupid than I thought you were if you think I’m going to let you take an uber when I can just drive you back to yours.” 

Nat’s face turned red, “Let me?” 

Harry nodded, grabbed his keys and wallet from the table, and followed Nat to the door. 

“You hardly have any ground to  _ let  _ me do anything, Harry.” 

He held the door open for her, the look on his face showing pure irritation, “Jesus, woman. Just let me drive you home.” 

Niall and Anna Katherine laughed at their friends, and when Niall’s phone started vibrating with a call, she slid it over to him, “Think Louis is calling.” 

Niall saw it was a facetime, and answered it, “Hey, mate.” 

Louis looked as irritated as Harry did moments ago, “Don’t ‘mate’ me, Niall James Horan.” 

“Middle and surname? What did I do now?” 

Louis’ eyes widened in mock surprise, “Oh, you don’t know? Maybe the small fact that I wasn’t invited to the engagement party!” 

“You’re in Dublin for an interview!” 

“That’s hardly the point,” He huffed out. “After all that whinging about Kit I had to listen to all these months, you don’t even tell me that you asked her out! And now you’re  _ engaged!” _

Anna Katherine cut her eyes at Niall, and blush started to creep up Niall’s neck. “She’s sitting right beside me, you dingbat.” 

“Oh.” Louis had at least a little sense to look sorry, “Pretend you didn’t hear that, love! Niall, mate, I don’t think I can get you a wedding present after this.” 

“Oh, shove it, Tommo. You’re more of a tantrum thrower than Harry.” 

“Speaking of that tosser, remind me to give him a good lecture when I get back for not inviting me.” 

Once Niall was off the phone with Louis, Anna Katherine gave him a nudge, “So you  _ whinge _ about me, huh?” 

He groaned and covered his face with his hands, “Please don’t start, Kit.” 

She poked him where she knew he was ticklish, and when he let out a high-pitched squeal, she laughed. “C’mon, tell me what you tell all your friends about me.” 

“Not a chance.” When she went to poke him again, he grabbed her wrists, “You’re a menace, Anna Katherine.” 

She just smirked up at him, “Yeah, and now you’re stuck with me for better or for worse.” 

When he let out another groan, she couldn’t help but laugh again. 

That night, Harry and Natalie once again found themselves without their best friends as Harry drove Nat home. It was only once they had gotten inside Harry’s car that they stopped arguing and bickering. They had stopped talking all together, actually. 

Harry had kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, and finally Nat had enough. “What, Harry?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Clearly it’s not nothing. You keep looking over at me.” 

He smirked, “It’s just that I would consider this a win for the Winning Wookies.” 

_ “Gah!  _ You’re the worst!” 

He laughed, but when he turned onto her street, he grew serious, “You still think this is going to end with us picking up their pieces?” 

“There’s no way it ends in any other way.” 

He pulled on his bottom lip before responding, “Yeah, I was afraid you’d say that.” 

When they were in front of her building, he put the car in park, “Home sweet home.” 

For once, Nat shared a smile with him, “Thanks for the ride.” 

“I’d believe you were actually thankful if you hadn’t fought me all the way to my car.” 

She opened the door, “Goodnight, Harry.” 

“G’night, Nat.” 

Harry stayed parked in front of her building until he saw the lights flicker on in her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite ahead in writing this, so as long as that stays the case, I'll be updating every friday morning :) 
> 
> Did we all survive the anniversary? I don't think I did.   
> the ot4 interactions was more than anything a 4k music video or scrapbook site could give me. 
> 
> [come talk to me about ur favorite 1d memory or yell about our 5 idiots or ya know, something u liked about this chap. ](https://thefangirlingbarista.tumblr.com/ask)


	3. Third Commandment

**Third Commandment: Thou (Niall) Shalt Put the Toilet Seat Down.**  
_Anna Katherine came back from using the bathroom saying, “I know the third commandment. You have to put the toilet seat down after you use it.”_ _  
_ _“I always do that!”_ _  
_ _“Then explain to me why I just fell in.”_

* * *

Anna Katherine was curled up around Fox in Niall’s bed while he sat at his desk filling out forms for his marriage green card. She was trying to fit in a nap, but Niall kept asking questions and keeping her up. 

“Who’s the sponsor?” Niall squinted at his computer, “Oh, wait. I’m the beneficiary, right? That would make you the sponsor?” 

Anna Katherine wrapped her arms around Fox, who sighed as if she had the entire world on her shoulders. Apparently it was a tough life being a dog. “I don’t know, Niall. Which has been my answer to the past ten questions and will probably be my answer for any other future questions. I don’t know why you just didn’t hire a lawyer for this.” 

“Because,” His tone heavily implied that she should know this, and to be fair, he had said this several times during the last two days, “Immigration lawyers are hella expensive, and I refuse.” 

“Whatever. Just google these things, don’t ask me.” 

He glared at her, “You know, you don’t have to be in here with me if I’m being such a bother.” 

She ignored his glare, “I haven’t seen you all week. Of course I’m going to be in here.” 

“Then stop acting like I’m annoying.” 

“You  _ are  _ annoying.” 

“Keep it up, and I’ll divorce you.” 

“First, we’re not married yet. Second, you’re the one reaping all the benefits of this marriage, not me.” 

Niall was either too focused on the form to listen to her or he was ignoring her. Anna Katherine would bet on the latter of the two. “Hey, we need photos of the two of us together. Like, from college and stuff. We also need to ask the complex for a copy of our lease agreement where we signed it together.” 

She cracked an eye open, “Why?” 

“To prove the legitimacy of our relationship.” 

“Oh, right. I can email them to you tonight after work. The lease agreement, too. I have it saved somewhere” 

“You’re a lifesaver,” He said without bothering to look away from the form on the screen. “Oh, just put them in our shared google drive.” 

“Yep, sure. Now be quiet so I can get a quick snooze in before I have to go to work.” 

“Kit, you need to leave in twenty minutes.” 

“Shh…” 

Sunday nights were traditionally girl/guy nights. Kit had Mack and Nat over while Niall went over to Harry’s where Louis and Liam sometimes showed up. Kit had demanded it be an official thing when she claimed she was spending too much time with Niall and Harry, and she was tired of hearing them belch and smelling their farts. Other than getting kicked out of his own home, Niall didn’t really care or have an opinion on it. He wouldn’t complain about getting some quality time with his boys. 

“How did Maura take the news?” Louis was sitting at Harry’s table with his feet propped up on it. Liam was looking on in disgust, but didn’t say anything. “Also, don’t think I’ve forgotten that I wasn’t told about you and your Kit dating.” 

Liam stopped looking disgusted long enough to ask, “Yeah, why was it so hush-hush?” 

Niall glanced at Harry who just smirked and gave him a shrug. “Oh, uh, Kit was just nervous about her parents finding out, but Maura was thrilled of course. She’s going to be here the entire week of the wedding.” 

Louis finally pulled his feet off the table, much to Liam’s relief. “When is the wedding?”

“Second weekend of November.” 

Liam looked surprised, “And how long have y’all been dating?” 

“A couple of months.” 

“Wow never pegged you to be the type of guy to jump right in after a few weeks, mate.” 

“Well,” Harry spoke up, finally coming to his friend’s assistance, “They have known each other for five years and cohabitated for three of those years. It’s not as fast as it actually seems.” 

“I saw this coming a mile away,” Louis said proudly.

Niall threw a rolled up napkin at him, “Oh, shut up, Tommo. You didn’t see anything.” 

“I had 20/20 vision in the love life of Niall and his Kit.” He sighed dramatically, “I feel like it was just yesterday Niall was nursing the heart Vivian shattered, and he was swearing off all women. Now look at him willing to commit his entire life to our sweet and beautiful Kit.” 

If Niall had something else to throw at him, he would. “You act like this has been some kind of slowburn.” 

Niall startled when all three of them said, “It has.” 

“You’re a bunch of wankers.” Niall snarked, “Did Harry here tell you that he pretended to be gay at Kit’s family dinner?” 

Laughter erupted around the table, and Niall was glad to have the attention off of him and Kit. He didn’t miss the finger Harry flashed his way, though. 

Nat was finishing up with the buffalo dip while Anna Katherine took Fox out for one last bathroom outing before Mack came over. Coming back in, she let the dog off the leash, and went to join Nat in the kitchen. 

Nat didn’t bother looking up at her when she said, “I still think this is a bad idea, ya know.” 

Anna Katherine knew she was talking about Niall, but she was tired of this lecture, “What? The buffalo dip. It’s always delicious.” 

Nat gave her a flat look, “I’m serious, Kit.” 

“Yeah, I didn’t get that the first hundred times you told me.” 

“I just don’t understand why you’re doing this.” 

“Niall will have to go back to Ireland if I don’t.” 

“Once again,” Nat finally looked up and pointed a spoon at her, “Not your problem.” 

“I can’t very well live without him.” Anna Katherine missed the knowing look that crossed Nat’s face, “I can’t afford my apartment without him. Plus, there’s Fox.” 

“I just think there’s more to it than that.” 

“Don’t even start, Natalie.” She shot her friend a glare. 

“What?” 

“I know where you’re going with this, and it’s truly outlandish.”

“It’s not exactly unheard of to fall for your best friend. Besides, Niall is one of the good ones.” 

Anna Katherine stared at Nat, but was saved from any response when Mack came in shouting, “I am here, and I am ready for all the wine and all the gossip of one Niall Horan!”

The next morning, Anna Katherine all but jumped off the bus as soon as it opened its doors, and ran down the sidewalk to the restaurant her mother told her to meet at. She had ten minutes until she was late, but according to Patricia Tran, you were late if you were on time. When she saw the restaurant in front of her, her back was coated with a nice layer of sweat, and she had to wipe her upper lip where more sweat was gathering. It might’ve just turned October, but that southern humidity didn’t believe in Autumn. It made Anna Katherine regret ever leaving the comfort of her air conditioned apartment. 

Seeing the scowl on her mother’s face made her regret it even more. 

“Anna Katherine,” Patricia checked the time, “You’re almost late.” 

Anna Katherine smiled, “Ah, but I’m not. I feel like this calls for a celebratory mimosa.” 

Hell must’ve frozen over because Anna Katherine was sure she saw a microscopic smile on her mom’s face, “You would’ve ordered bottomless mimosas anyway.” 

“Yeah, but they mean more this way.” 

Patricia shook her head, “Sometimes I wonder if you’re really my daughter.” 

Anna Katherine laughed and headed inside the restaurant, “Yeah, I question it, too.” 

Niall had only been to the country club once before when Kit had locked her keys in her car, and he had to drive her there to get the spare set from her parents. It was a month after meeting her and had been the first time he met Timmy. 

He had never been intimidated by Anna Katherine’s family. Jonah had always complained about Alex being too overprotective of her and her parents being too judgmental. Being her friend, he never saw that side of her family, and it didn’t take long for her parents to love him. But now, he was sitting in front of Timmy and had no idea what to say because if looks could kill, he’d definitely be dead by now. 

“Patricia and I have done a lot of thinking since the dinner.” 

Niall really wanted to grimace, but he did his best to keep his face neutral, “Yeah, I imagine so.” 

“You can probably also imagine that we weren’t exactly thrilled with how it played out.” Timmy leaned back in his chair, “I do have to admit, though, that when that dog of yours climbed into my wife’s lap, I had a hard time holding in my own laughter.” 

This time he did grimace, “I am  _ really  _ sorry about that.” 

Timmy scoffed, “Don’t be. We needed a good laugh after the bombshell you two decided to drop on us.” 

Niall stayed quiet, not knowing what to say and wondering if there was a way he could make this situation less awful. 

Thankfully, Timmy spoke up again, “Alex sat us down for a chat. He explained to us the situation.” 

Niall felt the blood drain from his face,  _ Shit.  _

“I think I’m going to get the triple choc pancakes.” Anna Katherine’s mouth was watering just picturing them. 

“Oh, honey, that’s too much sugar for in the morning. How about you get the breakfast bowl?” 

If she wasn’t trying to convince her mom that, yes she is mature enough to get married and please help with the wedding costs, she would argue with her. But for once, she kept her thoughts to herself, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” 

Patricia laid the menu down, “Before the waitress comes back, I just want to say…” 

She braced herself. 

“Your father and I understand, and we want to pay for your wedding dress and your honeymoon.” 

Anna Katherine choked on air. 

“Sir, I can explain.” 

Timmy looked confused, “Explain? There’s nothing to explain, son. You’re in love with our daughter. You were both nervous about how we would react, and after the dinner, it seems your concerns might have been warranted.” 

“What?” 

“I don’t fully understand why you both were so adamant about keeping it a secret, but Alex convinced us your intentions are pure.” Timmy gave him a piercing look, “Your intentions are pure, aren’t they?” 

Niall choked on nothing. Once he calmed down, he managed to say, “Of course.” 

“Now, let’s eat some breakfast so we can go golf, yeah?” 

For once in his life, Niall was dreading golfing. 

Patricia looked offended, “Honestly, Anna Katherine, there’s no need to be dramatic.” 

She looked at her mom incredulously, “I’m over here struggling to breathe and you think I’m being dramatic?” 

“Well, you are.” 

“Mother!” 

“Just pull yourself together, won’t you? We need to get through brunch so we won’t miss our first appointment.” 

“What appointment?” 

“I scheduled some time for us to go look at wedding dresses. Nat is going to meet us there and she’ll be facetiming Maura.” 

_ “Today?!”  _

“Of course today. We don’t have long since the two of you don’t want a long engagement. And don’t worry, we’ll be finished in time for you to make it to work.” 

_ Kit  _ _  
_ _ How’s golfing w Dr. Timothy Tran?  _

_ Niall  _ _  
_ _ Why do u refer to ur dad like that  
_ _ Its annoying  _

_ Kit  
_ _ Its funny   
_ _ Guess where i am  _

_ Niall   
_ _ Jail?  _

_ Kit  _ _  
_ _ No, but close   
_ _ A dressing room   
_ _ At a wedding dress shop  _

_ Niall   
_ _ You’re wedding dress shopping??? _

_ Kit  
_ _ Mom insisted on it   
_ _ Apparently she and dad are paying for it?  
_ _ Along with our honeymoon?   
_ _ Im in hell, i think  _

_ Niall   
_ _ Dont complain about them paying for thing   
_ _ We’re poor, Kit  _

_ Kit  _ _  
_ _ Im poor   
_ _ Ur rich  _

_ Niall  
_ _ Whatever   
_ _ Anyway   
_ _ Timmy gave me his blessing   
_ _ I think?  _

_ Kit   
_ _ We’ve obviously entered the twilight zone  _

_ Niall   
_ _ Obviously.  _

Anna Katherine had lost count of how many dresses she’d tried on. Her heart wasn’t really in it, for obvious reasons. She didn’t see herself falling in love with one specific dress, but when the woman came back with one last one, that might’ve changed. It was an empire with an off the shoulder neckline and quarter-length lace sleeves, and it looked fire on her. 

She stepped out fully intending on telling her mom and Nat that this was the one, but the words disappeared when she saw a familiar curly haired idiot sitting between her mom and Nat. 

“Harry, the hell?” 

He looked up from his phone, and his mouth dropped open, “Niall is going to sh–” He stopped himself, giving Patricia a quick side-eye. “Niall isn’t going to know what hit him. You look gorgeous, Kit.” 

She blinked, “Uh, thanks, but what are you doing here?” 

“Well since you failed to invite me, Nat told me what you all were doing, and here I am.” 

Classic Nat looked annoyed, “I didn’t tell him so that he would come.” 

“I needed to be here!” 

“Harry,” Anna Katherine started, “Typically the best man doesn’t come to these things.” 

_ “Typically.”  _ Harry mocked, “Nothing about this arrangement is typical.” 

Patricia laughed, “You can say that again. Now, Anna Katherine, the dress?” 

“I think this is the one.” 

Harry and Nat whooped and hollered, her mom actually looked pleased, and somewhere in the store, someone rang a bell. 

When Anna Katherine came home from work that night, Niall was still up. He was on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table and Fox asleep under his legs. 

“We’re going to have to do a couple of interviews, but it looks like the last one is the most intense,” Niall called from the couch. “I googled some of the questions that they ask, and I don’t think we should have much trouble with them. Still, I was thinking we could get Nat and Harry to help us with them. You know, do a mock interview or something.” 

Anna Katherine scoffed and jumped on the couch next to him, “Can we please talk about something other than your green card? Like, it’s important but my brain is goo after today.” She snuggled against him, and pushed his computer out of her way. 

“You’re like a damn cat.” 

She ignored him, “Wanna see pictures of my wedding dress?” 

He glanced down at her, “You serious? That’s bad luck.” 

“Yeah, but it’s not like this is a real wedding,” She pulled her phone out and went to her camera roll. 

“Anna Katherine!” Niall snatched her phone away and turned the screen off, “I’m not taking any chances.” 

She pouted, “You’re no fun.” 

“And you’re ridiculous.” 

She snatched her phone back, “Whatever.” She moved down so her head was in his lap, “I feel like we never see each other anymore, Niall.” 

He started brushing her hair with his fingers, “It’s not like we saw each other much before. Our schedules are complete opposites.” 

“Yeah but now when we would’ve had lazy days in together, you’re being whisked away to the country club by my dad, my mom is demanding I do weekly brunches with her, and apparently wedding planning is not as easy as I thought.” 

“We could schedule a time just for us. No one would think it’s weird since we’re supposed to be in love anyway. We can tell everyone it’s our designated date night or something. No one would question it.” 

Anna Katherine sat up, “Actually, that’s a good idea. We’re supposed to be in love, right?” When he nodded, she went on, “We need to be comfortable acting like a couple. PDA, handholding, you know. The whole shebang. Gotta keep the illusion strong.” 

“Yeah, right.” 

“This is a great idea, but I don’t want to tell Nat or Harry.” 

He raised his eyebrows, “What? Why?” 

She laid back down and looked up at him, “Because when it comes to this whole marriage thing, they’re being overbearing. If we tell them we’re having date nights or practicing being a couple, they’ll want to be a part of it.” 

“A secret date night?” Niall laughed, “Fine, what’s another secret in the midst of this entire lie anyway.” 

She smirked, “Exactly.” 

And then, just remembering what her mom had said, she blurts out, “Our honeymoon is going to be in New Orleans by the way.” 

Niall looked down at her, “Really? And when is that again? Fleetwood Mac is having a show there. It’ll be sick if it’s at the same time and we can get tickets.” 

Anna Katherine shrugged, “Not sure, but I’ll let you know.” 

Saturday morning, Anna Katherine woke up bright and early. She started the coffee, made sure they still had Niall’s favorite bagel and spread, took Fox out, and then went to Niall’s room and perched on the side of his bed. She reached over and poked his cheek. 

“Niall…” 

He swatted her hand away. 

“C’mon. Up and at ‘em. It’s Saturday morning, the sun is up, and coffee is being made. It’s a beautiful day!” She poked his cheek again and smiled when he cracked his eye open. 

When Niall saw her, he buried his face under his pillow and mumbled something that sounded awful like he hated her. 

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you since you’re trying to suffocate yourself.” She pulled the pillow off of his face. 

He gave her a very not so friendly look, “I said that I hated you.” 

She nodded, “Yeah, that’s fair. But, come on! We’ve got things to do.” 

Niall pushed himself up so he was leaning against his headboard, “It’s Saturday, Kit. We don’t have any plans.” 

“Incorrect. Mom called me last night, and her and her friends want to throw us a bridal shower.” 

“I’m coming?” 

“No, of course not. They gave me a choice between the couples shower and the bridal shower. This is my time to shine, Niall. Of course I chose the bridal shower.” 

He pinched the bridge of his nose like she was giving him a headache or something equally ridiculous, “I still don’t understand what this has to do with me.” 

“Our  _ registry.  _ We need to go and make it! I want that standing mixer!” 

He gave her a blank look, but when she didn’t go on, he sighed, “Can’t you do that on your own?” 

She shook her head, “Nuh-uh. You have to come with me. Come on! We can finally get dinnerware so that we can serve more than two people at once! With matching bowls and no more plastic cups from restaurants.” 

She could see him breaking, but slowly. “Can’t we go once I’ve had a bit more sleep?” 

“I have work, Niall! I have a photography gig at one, and then I have to be at the bar by four!” She poked his belly button, “Listen, you’re getting  _ citizenship  _ from this deal. The least you can do is come with me so I can get those shiny presents from family and friends.” 

He was almost there. She could see it in his eyes. “Kit-Kat…” 

“You can finally get that knife set you’ve been eyeing…” 

And that was the final straw, “Fine, I’ll come. But you’re driving.” 

She didn’t stop smiling even when he shoved her off his bed and stomped off towards the shower. 

When the nice man who was helping them with their registry said that they could add to it or change it at any time by going on their website, Niall could’ve killed her if they weren’t in public and his citizenship wasn’t resting on her shoulders. 

“Online, Kit?” 

She avoided looking at him. 

“You knew, didn’t you?”

She shrugged, “Maybe.” 

“Anna Katherine Tran, I swear to God if you woke me up during my Saturday sleep in for nothing…” 

She spun around to look at him, “It wasn’t for nothing! We get to use the scan gun thingies, and doing it this way is so much more fun and organic.” 

“But my sleep.” 

“But nothing, you can sleep when you’re dead.” 

“Something tells me that marrying you is going to bring that day a lot sooner than I had planned.” 

“I’m ignoring that, and now we’re going to go look at the towels. Big and fluffy, that’s the goal.” 

They spent two hours in the store, and it was only after forty-five minutes that Niall stopped complaining. Overall, Anna Katherine considered it a win. 

The shower was the following week, and Niall was thankful she chose the bridal shower when he was able to sleep in and stay in his pajamas all morning while she was getting ready and rushing around before Nat came to pick her up. He wasn’t at all surprised when after half an hour, Kit was already texting him. 

_ Kit   
_ _ I have regrets  _

_ Niall   
_ _ Did you not get the fluffy towels?  _

_ Kit   
_ _ I havent even opened the presents yet   
_ _ Havent even been given a piece of my cake   
_ _ And PATRICIA is judging my caffeine intake  _

_ Niall   
_ _ It is awfully high  _

_ Kit  _ _  
_ _ Watch it, Horan.  _ _  
_ _ Now she’s judging me for being on my phone  _

_ Niall  _ _  
_ _ Well it is rude to not be mingling  _ _  
_ _ Those people did buy you all those fancy presents.  _

_ Kit _ _  
_ _ Pls come.  _

_ Niall  _ _  
_ _ What happened to this being your time to shine?  _

_ Kit _ _  
_ _ I can shine another time  _ _  
_ _ I mean we are getting a divorce  _ _  
_ _ This wont be my only chance  _ _  
_ _ Niall please  _

_ Niall  _ _  
_ _ Your mother would shoot me  _

_ Kit  _ _  
_ _ She would not   
_ _ She doesnt own a gun.   
_ _ Actually, she might. I wouldnt be surprised  
_ _ But it doesnt matter  
_ _ Every old woman in this town is in love with you  _

_ Niall  _ _  
_ _ I do have a charm that they cant seem to resist  _

_ Kit _ _  
_ _ Niall   
_ _ Does this mean youre coming   
_ _ Niall pls   
_ _ I wont complain about the toilet seat anymore   
_ _ I’ll always restock the toilet paper   
_ _ Niall  _

_ Niall   
_ _ Jesus woman  
_ _ Have you no patience?   
_ _ I was in the shower.   
_ _ Send me the address.  _

_ Kit _ _  
_ _ I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! _

_ Niall  _ _  
_ _ I’ll be there in fifteen.  _

The room grew quiet when Niall walked in. He didn’t mind, though. His attention was on Kit sitting at the other end of the room surrounded by gifts and at least three empty cups of coffee. He wouldn’t be surprised if there were more empty coffee cups with her name on them scattered throughout the room. When she spotted him, she smiled, and Niall started walking towards her. 

“Hello, Princess. Your knight in shining armor is here with your carriage.” 

Her smile immediately fell, “Why are you like this?” 

He gave her a small shrug and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Before he pulled away he whispered, “Just doing what you asked, love.” 

He turned to face the room full of women, his hand still resting on her shoulder, “Sorry for interrupting, ladies.” 

Patricia was watching both of them, already suspicious of whatever was going on, “What are you doing here, Niall? Not that it isn’t lovely to see you.” 

He gave her his best smile, “Well, the plan was to stay home and give my bride-to-be her moment to shine. I definitely wasn’t complaining since that meant I could have a quiet Saturday morning to myself for once, but…” He trailed off and gave Kit a sympathetic look, “Kit was texting me complaining of an awful migraine. You know how bad those can get for her, Mrs. Patty. I decided I might as well come to at least help her pack everything in the car.” 

“A migraine? Why didn’t you tell us, dear? We would’ve wrapped this party up,” One of the other ladies asked. 

“Oh, you know our Kit. She didn’t want to come off as rude or ungrateful. She didn’t even want me to come, but I insisted.” 

“Putting it on a little thick, don’t you think?” Kit muttered. 

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, “I’ll just start packing up these presents and let you ladies visit some more.” He bent down to kiss Kit’s forehead and whisper, “You need to trust me more.” 

She rolled her eyes, “Sure thing, sweetheart.” 

And then for the room to hear, “Just let me know if you need anything, love.” 

On his way to the car with the first load, Patricia stopped him. “You handle her well, Niall.” 

He gave her a smile, “Thank you. I certainly try my best.” 

That night, all their friends came over, and they all oohed and aahed over their presents. 

Nat held the mixer to her chest, “I cannot believe you got this. You’re going to have to let me borrow it.” 

“Of course! Anytime.” 

Harry and Niall glanced at each other, “What is it about girls and mixers?”

Nat stuck her tongue out at Harry, “We like to cook, sue us.” 

Louis grabbed a blender and turned it around in his hands, “I just don’t understand the need for half of this stuff.” 

“Neither do I, mate. That one over there,” Niall nodded towards Anna Katherine, “Went a little nuts with the scanner.” 

Anna Katherine shrugged unapologetically, “It’s addicting. I regret nothing.” 

Mack wrapped one of the towels around her, “This is big enough to be a blanket.” 

“I know! Isn’t it the best?” 

Liam stretched out on the couch, “Has the stag night been planned?” 

“Stag night!” Louis perked up. 

“Dunno, that’s the best man’s job, innit?” Niall asked and nudged Harry. 

Louis looked hurt, “Mate, I’m the king of planning a good night out. Leave the planning all to me.” 

“No way,” Harry argued. “You can help, but you can’t take my best man duties away from me.” 

Nat reached for the set of bowls, taking careful look of each of them and said, “All I ask is that there are penis straws somewhere during our bachelorette night.”

Mack nodded her head in agreement, “Yes, penis straws are a must.” 

Anna Katherine looked at her two friends and asked, “Did the two of you forget that you were the ones planning? I don’t know why you’re requesting penis straws when you have that power. My only requirement is that it’s a night in.” 

Nat looked like she had just broken her heart. “You can’t be serious.” 

“I work in a bar, Nat. I’m tired of that scene.” 

“You can’t take away my one night of fun, Kit! I have been planning this night since we were kids!” 

“C’mon, Kit. Just a little outing,” Mack said. 

Anna Katherine rolled her eyes, “Fine. We can go to one bar, but after that we’re coming back here. You can bring as many penis themed items, but please just one bar.” 

“Fine,” Nat sighed out. 

Harry was the one to ask, “So when is this night happening?” 

Anna Katherine and Niall shrugged, and it was Louis who said, “Next weekend? It’ll be two weeks before the wedding.” 

They all nodded, and then the real planning began. 

They ended up going to a new club that opened downtown. Anna Katherine could feel the music thrumming through the floors and walls, and the flashing lights were almost enough to give her a seizure. Nat and Mack were laughing, drinking, and having the time of their lives, so as much as Anna Katherine didn’t enjoy this type of thing regularly, she couldn’t really complain. They pulled her out to the dance floor and danced until they were drenched in their own sweat, only to come back and do it all over again once they had another round of drinks. 

It was during one of their breaks when Anna Katherine happened to check her phone and saw five messages from Niall. 

_ Niall:  _ _  
_ _ Are you having a good time? _ _  
_ _ Liam just almost threw a dart at Lou’s head  _ _  
_ _ Now they are making jokes about me losing my freedom   
_ _ Imnot losing ym freedom  _ _  
_ _ I want to go home.  _

_ Kit:   
_ _ You’re becoming a US citizen  _ _  
_ _ If anything…  _ _  
_ _ You’re gaining even more freedom  _

_ Niall:  _ _  
_ _...that was horrible.  _

_ Kit:  _ _  
_ _ It made u smile tho didnt it  _

_ Niall:  _ _  
_ _ Im using this moment to use my rights and plead the fifth  _

_ Kit:  _ _  
_ _ Ur not a citizen yet u cant plead nothing _

_ Niall:  _ _  
_ _ Fine. yes. I smiled.  _ _  
_ _ I miss you  _

_ Kit:   
_ _ Youre drunk  _

_ Niall:   
_ _ So are u  _ _  
_ _ Doesnt mean i cant miss you  _

Anna Katherine smiled at her phone and sent a heart emoji right before Mack and Nat reappeared and took her phone away, “No phones!” 

“No texting the groom!” 

“But I wasn’t–” 

“Nuhuh!” Nat pocketed Anna Katherine’s phone, “No boys allowed tonight. Now, come and dance with us! We can head home after!” 

Nat was true to her word, and after one more dance they called an uber and headed back to the apartment. It was only when their faces were covered in goo and their nails wet with polish that she gave Anna Katherine back her phone. 

_ Niall:  _ _  
_ _ Liam just punched Louis.  _ _  
_ _ I think we mightve just gotten kicked out   
_ _ We’re going to your bar now   
_ _ Are you guys home yet?   
_ _ Where’d you gooooooo   
_ _ Lou just told us he got the job in Dublin.  _

_ Kit:  _ _  
_ _ Nat stole my phone  _ _  
_ _ Thats awesome for lou tho  _

_ Niall:   
_ _ That was rude  _ _  
_ _ Yeah he’s moving back there in december  _

_ Kit:  _ _  
_ _ You okay with that? I know you two are close.  _ _  
_ _ We’re watching Fox and the Hound now   
_ _ And Fox is very intrigued  _

_ Niall:  _ _  
_ _ I’ll live.   
_ _ :( I wish i was there  _

Kit smiled and took a selfie of her with the mud mask on and sent it to him. 

_ Kit:  _ _  
_ _ U sure?  _

_ Niall:   
_ _ Nothin i havent seen before   
_ _ Still beautiful  _

_ Kit:   
_ _ How drunk are you  _

_ Niall:   
_ _ Apparently not enough   
_ _ Shots have been ordered  
_ _ Again  _

_ Kit:   
_ _ Dont die on me, Niall _

_ Niall:   
_ _ Never. _ _  
_ _ You cant get rid of me that easily, Tran.  _

She didn’t hear from him again until she was curled up in her bed, Nat snoring softly beside her, and Mack sound asleep on a pallet on the floor. 

_ Niall:   
_ _ Im being forced to sleep on the floor   
_ _ This was my night   
_ _ How did it end up like this  _

_ Kit:   
_ _ Doesnt harry have like a king mattress or something  _

_ Niall:   
_ _ Yes and dumb and dumber took it  _ _  
_ _ Harry’s on the couch   
_ _ At least i have a couch cushion  _

_ Kit:   
_ _ Soz m8   
_ _ Ur bed will be ready for u in the morning  _

_ Niall:   
_ _ Will you cook me pancakes   
_ _ With choc chips  _

_ Kit:   
_ _ I’ll even cover it with powdered sugar  
_ _ Since youre a monster and dont like syrup  _

_ Niall:   
_ _ The best fiance.  _

_ Kit:   
_ _ Goodnigt Niall  _

_ Niall:   
_ _ Night, Kitten.  _

Anna Katherine hid her smile in her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut. 

Natalie opened the door to find Harry on the other side. He told her he was coming over, but she didn’t actually believe him. 

“You came.” 

He didn’t wait to be invited in, just moved between her and the door, and made his way to the bedroom where the dresser she had texted him about was scattered around the floor in pieces. “Of course I came,” He said. “I said I would, didn’t I?” 

“Yeah, but we’re all hungover and I think I would die if I walked outside right now.” 

She followed him into the bedroom and perched on the side of the bed and watched as he shrugged out of his flannel and knelt down on the floor where the instruction manual was. She kept watching as he slowly put it together, and when he was almost finished she realized that she needed to thank him. 

“Thanks for helping me.” 

Harry glanced at her and smirked, “Well when you asked for help, I thought I wouldn’t be doing this alone.” 

“You should’ve known better,” She sniffed. “Besides, I’ve given wonderful moral support.” 

He let out a laugh, “Yeah, sure.” 

She was quiet as she watched him screw in the last piece. Her mind wandered to the night before and to her two best friends. “How long do you think they can go without falling for each other?” 

He didn’t hesitate when he said, “I think it’s already happened.” 

“They’d make a good couple.” 

“Yeah, under normal circumstances,” Harry licked his lips. “I really did ask my doctor for anxiety meds.” 

Nat fell back on her bed and laughed, “I can’t believe this is our lives.” 

Harry sat beside her on the bed, “Yeah, me neither.” He patted her thigh, “C’mon. You owe me pizza.” 

For once, Natalie didn’t have an argument for him, and she found herself quite enjoying her time with him as they shared a pizza at a dingy shop downtown. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come chit chat on tumblr @ thefangirlingbarista.tumblr.com  
> too lazy to link it this time guys


	4. Fourth Commandment

**Fourth Commandment: Thou Shalt (Niall - again) Buy Anna Katherine Tran Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Once A Month**

_“You have to take the trash out every time it gets full.”_

_Niall didn’t look amused, “Who do you think takes the trash out now?”_

_“Fine, you have to buy me mint choc chip once a month.”_

_“You’re ridiculous.”_

_“And you’re more ridiculous than I am since you asked me to marry you.”_

* * *

The last thing Anna Katherine wanted to do was to leave the apartment. The past few days made it seem like Satan himself crawled out of hell and wrote a script for her life to make it her own personal misery. First she had to go with her mother to pick out centerpieces and wedding colors and cake. She’d begged Niall to take a personal day to come with her, but he needed to save up his days for when they went on their honeymoon, which was actually just going to be the two of them hanging out and acting fools in New Orleans, and the holidays that were fast approaching. Anna Katherine didn’t understand why she even had to go in the first place since her mother made all the final decisions. 

That same day, she came home to a destroyed living room courtesy of Fox Horan-Tran, along with the largest pile of dog shit she’s ever seen. To top it all off, Harry and Nat won’t leave them alone, there was a bar fight two nights in a row, she was by herself at the bar last night because Mack got sick, she’s pretty sure she’s about to start her period, and all she really wants to do is sit on the couch, watch an old disney channel movie, and eat ice cream. Also, sleep. She really, really wanted to sleep. 

She had every intention of going through with that plan until Niall came home, looking all too peppy for her taste, and asked her if she was ready to go. 

She glared at him, even though he really hadn’t done anything to earn that look from her. Thankfully, Niall was used to her mood swings and misplaced anger by now. 

“And where are we going?” 

He shrugged out of his blazer, “We have our date night tonight, remember? We said we’d go out this week. Practice being a couple out in public.” 

He went to rummage through the fridge to find a drink, and when she let out a groan he looked over his shoulder at her, “Another bad day?” 

Instead of answering the obvious question, she said, “Patricia called. She wants to know if we want a live band or a DJ.” 

Niall finally decided on a water and came to join her on the couch, “And what did you decide?” 

“You know I have zero power when it comes to these decisions. She decided on a live band.” 

“She’s paying for it, I hope.” 

“Of course she is. By the time she’s done with it, you’ll barely have to pay a dime.” 

He screwed off the top of his water and took a swig, “Which is perfectly fine with me.” 

“Only because you don’t have to deal with her!” 

He offered her some water, but she pushed it away. “Alright, then. What else happened?” 

She didn’t look at him, “Nothing.” 

“Kit,” She didn’t appreciate the soft smile he had. 

Another glare, “What?” 

“I know something else happened.” 

She didn’t like how well he knew her, either. 

When he kept looking at her with soft, concerned eyes and that ridiculous soft smile, she sighed in defeat, “I might’ve cried over the fact that we don’t have any mint chocolate chip left.” 

She fully expected him to laugh and mock her, but he didn’t. “Oh, Kitten.” 

When she cut her eyes at him and he wrinkled his nose, she wondered when he became unbearably adorable. 

“Go on this date with me like we had planned, and on our way home, we’ll stop to get you all the ice cream your heart desires.” She still looked skeptical, so he added, “I’m pretty sure that’s in our contract anyway.” 

She chuckled, “Yeah, think so.” 

“Alrighty, then. It’s settled!” He clapped his hands together and motioned for her to get up, “Go get changed so we can head out. I’m starving.” 

Anna Katherine looked down at her clothes. “What’s wrong with what I have on?” 

“It’s a date, love. We gotta look the part. I’ll be wearing my work blazer, so you won’t look out of place. That dress you wore at Nat’s birthday dinner would be fine.” 

She stood up with a grunt, “You’re awfully bossy today, Mr. Horan.” 

He smiled and said, “Someone’s gotta wear the pants in this relationship.” 

“I just let you think you’re in charge,” She said when she patted his head on her way to her bedroom. 

Anna Katherine thought about not wearing the dress just to spite Niall, but it was one of her favorites and the most comfortable. In the end, she slipped it on, but she told herself it was for her, not Niall.

When they got in his car, they immediately started arguing about where to go. 

“I thought you said you didn’t care?” Niall pulled out of the parking garage, and by the look on his face, he was clearly frustrated with her. 

“I don’t! I’m just not in the mood for a steak.” 

“Or pizza or street tacos.” 

“All of that sounds gross right now.” 

“What about that old country diner out by Nat’s?” 

Her mouth watered, “Ooh, fried chicken? Yes, please.” 

He shook his head, “Why didn’t you just say you wanted fried chicken?” 

“I didn’t know what I wanted!” 

“That’s not the same thing as not caring.” 

“Okay, but you get more annoyed with me when I say I don’t know.” 

“I cannot believe I’m stuck with you for the foreseeable future.” 

“If I’m so unbearable, you could’ve asked someone else to be your illegal wife.” She huffed out, “Besides, you would’ve been stuck with me either way. We live together, dingbat.” 

“And who else am I going to ask? Nat? No thank you. She’d be worse than you. And at least if we were only living together without a legally binding commitment, I could get out whenever I wanted to.” 

She snorted, “As if I’d let you.” 

To her surprise, he laughed. “That’s true. Remember when I was thinking about taking that job in New York? You were about ready to chain me up and throw away the key.” 

“I still can’t believe you even considered it! Leaving all of us behind, as if!” 

He looked at her again, and she was annoyed that there was that soft smile again, “I’m still here, aren’t I?” 

Even if she was annoyed, she couldn’t help but smile back, “Yeah, you’re here.” 

Once they got to the restaurant, Anna Katherine immediately ran off to the bathroom, and Niall mocked her for having such a tiny bladder. When she came back, he had already ordered the fried chicken blue plate, a root beer float, and water for her. Because they were supposed to be on a date as an engaged couple she gave him a peck on the cheek before sitting down in the booth across from him. 

“Thanks for ordering for me, _sweetheart.”_

Niall winked, “Anything for my bride-to-be.” 

Anna Katherine couldn’t hold in the laugh, and she was still giggling when the waitress came with their food. 

They laughed and talked, and Niall made her snort out her rootbeer float when he reached over the table and took her hand, being over dramatic with the pet nicknames and the heart eyes. 

Niall didn’t complain when she stole food off his plate, and when he kept eyeing her float, she slid it across the table to him. It was the most fun and relaxed she’d felt in a while, and when the waitress brought them their ticket, she was almost disappointed. 

When they got in the car, Niall turned up the music and laughed as she sang loud and off-key, and when he parked at the store, they sat there with the car idling as they sang along to two more songs. 

When Niall took her hand in the grocery store, he half expected her to pull away. Instead, she gave him a quick squeeze and a smile and led him to the freezer section. He teased her when she briefly wondered if she should get something other than mint chocolate chip, as if she’d ever choose something different. 

He was reaching for his own pint of cookies and cream, when he heard an almost forgotten voice come up behind them. 

“Well, what are the chances of us running into each other here?” 

Niall and Kit both spun around, and Niall wasn’t sure which one of them was more surprised to see Jonah standing in front of them. 

“Jonah?” Niall cut his eyes at Kit, a little worried about how she was about to react. But she sounded calm enough when she asked, “What are you doing here? You moved.” 

Jonah eyed the both of them, and his eyes lingered on where Niall’s hand rested on Kit’s back. He flicked his eyes back to Kit, “Just moved back recently. There was a job opening, and I decided I wanted to be closer to family.”

His eyes landed on Kit’s left hand, and he nodded towards the ring that was on her finger, “I guess congratulations are in order.” 

“Oh, yeah.” Kit nodded, “Uh, thanks.” 

Niall rubbed her back, hoping to communicate to Kit that he was with her in this, “Thanks, man.” 

Jonah didn’t look at all like he wanted to give them a congratulations. “When did it happen?” 

“I asked her back in September.” 

Jonah hummed, “And when is the big day?” 

“Next week.” 

He raised his eyebrows, “Pretty soon, isn’t it?” 

Kit shrugged, “Not when you think about how long we’ve been friends. Besides,” Niall heard her tone go cold, “I trust him.” 

Jonah heard the underlying message, “Yeah, I guess you do.” He looked between the two of them again, and then nodded, “Well, it was good to see you guys. I guess I’ll see you around.” 

Niall lifted his hand in a half hearted wave, “Yeah, sure.” 

“Bye, Jonah.” 

Niall’s hand dropped to his side when Jonah turned and walked away from them. When Kit took his hand back in hers, he looked over at her, “You good?” 

She smiled up at him, “Peachy. C’mon, let’s get out of here before my ice cream melts.” 

Once they got back in the car, Niall reached over her and opened the glove compartment. After a moment, he smiled and pulled out two packets of plastic utensils, “Ah-ha!” He grinned, looking all boy, and handed one to Anna Katherine, “A spoon for the lady.” 

She looked at the plastic spoon and then at him, “As much as I love ice cream, I do have enough self restraint to wait until we get home.” 

“Yeah, but we’re not going home. Our night isn’t over yet, Kit-Kat.” 

She asked where they were going, but he refused to tell her. So she sat there listening to his playlist while they drove around the city. When they arrived at a park and he stopped the car, she looked at him. She didn’t need to voice the question for him to understand. 

He shrugged, “We’re never too old for a good swing.” 

She laughed, grabbed their ice cream and spoons, and raced him to the swings. The nights were finally starting to feel like autumn, and with the cool breeze and the ice cream, Anna Katherine started getting goosebumps. 

Her chattering teeth didn’t get past Niall, and when he noticed, he shrugged out of his blazer and draped it over her shoulders. 

“You didn’t have to,” She tried to complain, but it didn’t do much good since she was already pushing her arms through the sleeves. 

And there was that damn soft smile again, “I pride myself in being the perfect date, Kit. If I just let you sit on the swing shivering, I wouldn’t be the perfect date.” 

“Now I know how you get all those women to swoon at your feet. You trick them into thinking you’re the perfect gentlemen.” 

“Ah, shucks,” Niall acted disappointed, “You figured out my secret.” 

She laughed, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep it safe with all the other secrets of yours I’m keeping.” 

They stayed there on the swings until Anna Katherine finished her pint of ice cream. She threw her empty carton at Niall when he made fun of her for eating the entire thing, but he just laughed and went to throw both of the containers away. When he came back, he stood in front of her, his hands holding onto the chains above her, head bent down to look at her. 

“Tonight wasn’t as bad as you’d thought, eh?” 

“If I tell you that, will it go to your head?” 

“Probably.” 

“Then tonight was definitely shit.” 

He laughed again, his head thrown back and the sound echoing in the empty park. He stopped laughing, and then he was looking at her again, and Anna Katherine really did begin to understand how he got all the girls. 

“Okay, on a serious note,” Niall started pushing her, and Anna Katherine watched him carefully, wondering what he was about to say. “Jonah.” 

“What about him?” 

“That was unexpected. Was this the first time you’ve seen him since…?” 

“Since he shattered my heart and fed it to the wolves? Yeah.” 

Niall nodded, “Hm. Thought so.” 

She smiled, and did her best to assure him she was fine, “It really didn’t bother me. Promise.” 

“Are you just telling me that for me to stop worrying?” 

“Yeah, but it’s also true.” 

He gave her another push, “Well, since you trust me, I guess I gotta trust you, too.” 

“That is what makes a great marriage work.” 

Maura arrived Saturday night, and Anna Katherine couldn’t help but notice how different she was to her own mother. She had met Niall’s mom plenty of times over Facetime, but this was the first time she’d seen her in person. That didn’t stop Maura from hugging her as soon as she laid eyes on her, though. 

“It is so good to finally meet you, Kit. Niall hasn’t shut up about you since the two of you met back in uni. I told him back then that he was going to marry you, whether or not you were currently dating that knob Jonah.” 

Niall looked as embarrassed as Anna Katherine had ever seen him, and she couldn’t help but laugh at him when he whined, _“Muuuum._ Please!” 

“Is that so?” Anna Katherine all but preened, “Please, tell me more, Maura.” 

The two women huddled together and ignored Niall’s protests while he waited for his mom’s luggage. “Well, Kit, it all started when he came home for the winter holidays after meeting you.” 

She glanced over Maura’s shoulder to look at Niall who was downright glaring at his mother. Another laugh escaped, and when he heard her, he directed the glare towards her. 

“He wouldn’t shut up about this mysterious Kit. Went on, and on, and on. It was a miracle any of us got a word in during that holiday. I genuinely thought the two of you were already dating, and it took me that entire three week break to realize you were dating his best friend.” 

“My best friend is Harry, Ma.” 

Maura ignored him, “You can imagine my shock when he told me you were dating Jonah. I was heartbroken for him, really. I’m just glad you both came to your sense, and he finally told you how he felt.” 

Kit locked eyes with him again and giggled, “Yeah, lucky us that we figured it out.” 

Niall finally saw his mom’s luggage and broke the two of them up, “Alright you two, that’s enough of that. Let’s go grab some food. I’m sure you’re starved, Mum.” 

On the way back to the car, Kit nudged him, “You were obsessed with me.” 

Niall continued looking straight ahead, “I liked you a normal amount for a friend.” 

“Mhm, sounds like it.” Anna Katherine nudged him again, and when she saw his scowl, she decided to give him a break, “I was a little obsessed with you, too.” 

He looked at her then, “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” She shrugged. “I blame the accent. I thought it was sexy back then.” 

Niall smiled so wide that he looked like a kid on Christmas morning, “Sexy, huh?” 

She rolled her eyes, “Shut up. I’ve obviously changed my mind since then.” 

“Yeah,” Niall said laughing, “Obviously.” 

He wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned into him. It was beginning to get cold, and she welcomed the warmth from his body. They were almost back to the car when he leaned over to whisper, “I still think your southern accent is sexy.” 

Thankfully he didn’t look at her, because Anna Katherine could feel her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink. 

Niall and Kit stood facing each other in his room, the bed sitting between them, and Kit holding her pillow close to her chest as if it was a shield. When his mum saw him getting ready to sleep on the couch, she brushed away all their “concerns” and assured them she was fine with them going on with their normal sleeping arrangements. 

Little did she know that their normal sleeping arrangements consisted of Kit sleeping in the bed that his mom took for the week, and Niall sleeping across the hall in his own very empty bed. Niall almost wished Maura was more like Patricia. He was sure that if Patricia was staying over, they’d be locked in different rooms with her sitting watch to make sure no funny business took place under her nose. 

“I’ll just sleep on the floor.” 

Kit raised an eyebrow, “All week long?” When he shrugged, she threw her pillow on the bed with a loud _thump,_ “Don’t be so ridiculous, Niall. I don’t know what’s wrong with us. We’ve slept in the same bed together before.” 

“Those have been naps. Besides, Mum full on thinks we’re… you know…” 

She rolled her eyes and got on the bed, Fox immediately joined her. “That your penis is going inside of me? Yes, I got that when she told us to keep it down and to be safe so she wouldn’t become a grandma before we got married.”

Niall groaned and fell on the bed, “Must you phrase it like that?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Would you rather me say that Maura thinks we’re _fucking?_ Making love? Sleeping together? Having sexy time? That we’re getting it on?” 

He peeked over at her between his fingers, “You know what? Yes, I would’ve preferred any of those.” 

She shrugged and laid down so that her head was by his, both of their legs hanging off opposite sides. “Too bad. None of those were as fun to say for me.” 

Niall risked another look at her, and immediately started glaring when he realized she was watching him and trying not to smile, “You’re enjoying this too much.” 

He swatted her hand away when she reached out to poke his cheek, “Just trying to make this fun.” 

He got off the bed again, and Kit rolled over on her stomach to watch him. “Are you fine with me not wearing a shirt?” 

She stared at him for a moment, and then, slowly, she said, “You do realize I have known you for five years, right? I have seen you shirtless many times. We have cuddled while you were basically naked many times. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen me topless–” 

“I told you that was an accident.” 

“–So I don’t understand what the big deal is.” 

“I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” 

“You’ve never made me feel uncomfortable ever in the entirety of our friendship.” She sat up and seemed to think about it, “Except for that time you burped the alphabet. That was uncomfortable for everyone.” 

“Kit…”

“Just shut up, will you? Turn off the lights and then get in this damn bed before I lose my ever-loving mind.” 

Niall briefly thought about arguing with her just to see her get annoyed some more, but thought better of it, and did what she asked instead, pulling his shirt over his head on the way to turn off the lights. When he got under the covers, he let out a contented sigh. Everything was peaceful and quiet and… 

“No, this isn’t going to work.” 

He felt more than saw Kit sit up. He closed his eyes. Maybe if he stayed still she’d go back to being quiet, but his eyes shot open when she began crawling over him. 

“Anna Katherine! What the hell?” 

“I can’t sleep on that side of the bed. It feels weird.” She crawled the rest of the way over and then pushed his side, “Scoot over, will you? I don’t have room.” 

“You had plenty of room before you decided to invade my space.” 

“Niall!” She slapped his arm. 

“Ow! Okay, I’m going! Sheesh!”

He scooted over, and she wiggled and squirmed but, finally, was still. 

“Better?” 

There’s silence, and Niall began to regret asking. 

“Actually,” She began. “Can we cuddle?” 

“No.” 

“But–” 

“No way.” 

“You _know_ touch is my love language, and I haven’t been getting my quota lately. Nat is being mean and refuses to hug me since she apparently hates touch, and you and I haven’t–” 

“If I say yes will you shut up and go to sleep?” 

“Yes.”

“Then get over here.” 

She wiggled over to him and got as close as she could, resting her head in the crook of his arm and slipping her feet between his legs. 

“Are you wearing socks?” 

“My feet get cold.” 

“God, you’re so weird.” 

“Leave me alone and go to sleep, Niall.” 

Eventually, with Kit curled up at his side and Fox curled up at their feet, Niall somehow managed to fall asleep. 

Anna Katherine was woken up in the very rude manner of Niall yanking all of the covers off of her and yelling, “Time to get up, love!” 

She yanked a pillow over her head when he opened the blinds, “It’s Sunday! I want to sleep in!” 

She felt the bed dip down and then Niall gently tugged the pillow off of her, “Did you forget Patty is forcing us to go to church this morning?” 

She let out a long groan, and he patted her shoulder sympathetically, “I know, I know. But it’s going to be fine. Plus, we get free brunch out of it.” 

“There is nothing free when it comes to Patricia Tran. She’ll make me pay for it somehow, just not in the typical way.” 

“You give her too much credit for being manipulative.” 

“No, you don’t give her enough.” 

She glared at him when he stood up, “Where are you going?” 

“I’m going to go make sure we have enough coffee because I am not dealing with a grumpy Kit all morning long.” 

“ _Dealing with._ You make me sound impossible.” 

“You are.” 

She threw the pillow at him, and he ran out of the room ducking and laughing. She really did not appreciate him this morning. 

The church service flew by, and Anna Katherine thought it might have had to do with her and Niall whispering and giggling with each other all throughout the service. She knew her mom was giving them glares, but sitting next to her best friend while drinking her third cup of coffee all while knowing that they couldn’t and shouldn’t be laughing and talking, made it all that much harder not to. 

Alex met them for brunch, and he talked Maura’s ear off the entire time, telling her stories of Niall and Anna Katherine and all the mischief they caused their last two years of college. Maura, of course, ate up every bit of it. Patricia didn’t look as thrilled. 

That night, going to bed was a much easier affair than the night before, and when Anna Katherine stood by the side of the bed, Niall sighed and motioned for her to come lay beside him. She jumped on the bed and immediately curled herself next to him. 

The week sped by with work shifts, last minute wedding arrangements, lunches with the moms, dinners with her dad and Alex – where both her and Alex were uncomfortable when their dad started getting emotional – and shopping with Maura. 

“I had a nice day with Patty yesterday.” 

Maura and Anna Katherine were walking the length of the mall, stopping at whichever store caught Niall’s mom’s attention. Anna Katherine knew Maura and her mom had spent the day together yesterday, but she didn’t expect to have a conversation about it. 

“Yeah? That’s good.” 

Maura watched her, and Anna Katherine wondered what it was about the Horan’s that made her feel so _seen._ “Niall tells me you don’t get on well with her.” 

She shrugged, “I guess you could say that. She’s just so overbearing. I feel like I can never live up to the unreasonable expectations she has for me.” 

Maura nodded, but didn’t respond right away. It wasn’t until they went into another home decor store that she said, “As a mother myself, I can see Patty’s perspective maybe a little easier than you can.” 

Anna Katherine shot her a glance, but stayed quiet. 

“She’s proud of you, you know. But as parents, we stay worried about our kids. From the moment we see and hold you in our arms until we take our last breath, we worry. She just wants you to be the best you can possibly be.” 

“But she thinks my best is far more than what it actually is. She criticizes every aspect of my life.” 

Maura hums thoughtfully, “Not every aspect, I think. She wants you to be prepared and ready for the day she’s no longer around. I think that’s why she’s so excited about you and Niall.” 

“Excited? I doubt that.” 

“Oh, she’s definitely happy and excited about it. She shows it in her own way, but I can see it in the way she talks about the two of you.”

“Yeah?” 

Maura nods, “Her and I both have been waiting for the two of you to get your act together longer than we’d like, but we’re both just happy you finally found your way there.” She turned to face Anna Katherine, “Now, enough home decor shopping. Let’s go find you some lingerie for your wedding night.” 

Anna Katherine choked on the bite of pretzel she just took. 

It didn’t take them long for her and Niall to have their bedtime routine down. If she was working that night, Niall would leave on the lamp that was on her side of the bed and would try to stay up by reading until she got home if he knew she wasn’t closing the bar that night. If she had the night off, they’d get ready together, crawl into bed and watch another episode of _Married at First Sight_ before turning the lights off and going to sleep. 

On Friday, they were getting ready for another episode when Maura barged into their bedroom. “Oh, no you don’t, Niall James.” 

Niall looked up from the screen, “What?” 

Maura came over to his side of the bed, closed the computer, and motioned for him to get out of bed, “If you think you two are sleeping in the same bed together the night before your wedding, you’re sadly mistaken.” 

“But–” 

“Ah-ha. It’s bad luck. Harry is downstairs waiting in the car to take you to his place, and there is a bag packed for you with everything you could possibly need on the kitchen table.” Maura shooed him away from the bed, “Now, off you go.” 

Anna Katherine and Niall looked at each other, and Maura completely misread their looks. “Fine, you love birds. One kiss goodnight, and then off you go.” 

Anna Katherine’s eyes went wide, but Niall didn’t seem phased when he made his way over to her. 

“You shouldn’t look so terrified to kiss your husband, Kitten.” He whispered when he leaned down. 

Her skin tingled where he rested his hand against her neck, and she found herself tilting her head up and meeting him halfway for the kiss. It was short and sweet and innocent, but when he pulled away, she felt herself chasing the feeling of his lips against hers. 

Niall smirked, “Good night, Anna Katherine Tran. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

That same night, a few hours later, Anna Katherine was still wide awake. 

_Kit:_ _  
_ _Is it pathetic that i cant sleep in ur bed without u?_

_Niall:  
_ _Nah, not pathetic.  
_ _A little weird maybe_

_Kit:  
_ _U know what  
_ _I hate you  
_ _I take everything back  
_ _Im going to sleep  
_ _Goodnight_

_Niall:  
_ _Hahaha  
_ _Love you too Kit._

  
  


Niall was in the groom’s area with Harry, Louis, and Liam when Nat came in, not bothering to knock, looking a little frantic. 

“Hello, glad to see you all are dressed.” She looked around the room, but she landed on Niall, “We might have a crisis.” 

Niall shot up, “Is it Kit? Is she okay?” 

She looked frantically around the room again, “Yeah, uh, she’s definitely not okay.” 

Anna Katherine was laid out on her back on the floor. Her hair and makeup was done and she was only wearing her slip. Well, her makeup _was_ done. She felt like after this, Nat would have to touch it up again. Her heart was pounding and she felt like the world was about to swallow her whole. She’d prefer that, actually, to what was about to happen. There was a tentative knock on the door, and she knew it was Niall even before he cracked the door open and stuck his head in. 

“You decent?” 

“What do you want, Niall?” 

When he spotted her on the floor, he squeezed in through the door, and gently closed it behind him. He was there lying on the floor beside her within seconds.

“What’re we looking at?” 

“The ceiling.” 

“It’s a very nice ceiling. Very aesthetically pleasing.” 

“Niall.”

“What?”

“Why are you here?” 

“Nat thinks you’re having a crisis.” 

“She might be right.” 

“I heard there was hysterical crying.” 

“Maybe something like that.” 

“Wanna tell me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” 

She was quiet for a moment, and then turned her head to look at Niall only to see him already looking at her, “We’re about to lie to everyone. I mean, I know we’re already doing that, but it’s about to be… like. Legit.” 

He nodded, and she felt his eyes dance over her face. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was, “We don’t have to go through with it.” 

When she looked at him in surprise, he kept going. “You’re doing this for me, Kit. And, as much as I love you for it, it doesn’t have to happen. Going back to Ireland wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I’ll still love you just as much if you tell me you want out.” 

She thought about it. Thought about having to go out there and tell her friends and family that the wedding is off. Thought about how she’d have to sit and watch Niall pack up his life and board a plane for a place far, far away from her. Thought about how empty the apartment would be without him, how Fox would miss him, and how her friend group would seem so much smaller without him. 

She shook her head, “Marrying my best friend isn’t the worst thing in the world.” 

They smiled at each other and sat up. Niall reached out and pushed a curled strand of hair behind her ear, “You’re beautiful, you know.” 

She snorted, “I’m a mess.” 

“But a very beautiful mess.” 

She moved so she could lean against him, “Thanks for coming.” 

“F’course.” He smoothed her hair down, “But I should better get back if you’re okay now.” 

“No,” She tightened her hold on him, “Stay for a little bit longer.” 

“Whatever you need, love.” 

Niall wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t nervous when his mum kicked him out of his own apartment. He wasn’t nervous when he and the lads went for a round of golf in the morning. He wasn’t nervous when he had to go calm Kit down – he was definitely concerned, but not nervous. He wasn’t nervous when Timmy came and gave him a talk or when Alex, even knowing it was a fake marriage, threatened him if he ever hurt his sister. He wasn’t nervous for any of it until he was standing at the end of the aisle with Harry by his side waiting for Kit to walk down the aisle towards him. 

“You look constipated, mate.” Harry whispered. 

He glanced over his shoulder at Harry, “What the hell am I doing, H?” 

“Marrying your best friend. Now shut up, smile, and look like you’re in love.” 

And then the music started, the guests stood, Kit was walking towards him, and Niall forgot how to breathe. 

When she got to him, he didn’t hear a word the preacher said. Kit had his undivided attention. 

When she smiled at him, it was like a punch in the gut, “I look good, don’t I?” 

“You have no fu–” Niall snapped his mouth shut and swallowed, “You have no idea.” 

They went to stand in front of the preacher, and Kit handed the bouquet to Nat who looked like she was about to start crying at any moment. And then, somehow, they were already saying their vows. 

Niall repeated the lines after the preacher, “I, Niall, take thee, Anna Katherine, to be my lawfully wedded wife.” They kept smiling at each other, and Niall really wished her smile didn’t hurt as much as it did. “To have and to hold, from this day forward.” 

Kit stuck her tongue out at him, and he nearly choked on his laugh, “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer.” 

Quite unhelpfully, his mind forced him to remember a time when he was jobless, angry, and depressed. He took it out on Kit for weeks, but she didn’t shy away. She called him out on his shit and helped him apply for other jobs. It was because of her that he has the job he has now. 

“In sickness and in health.” 

Kit was the biggest baby when she was sick, and she got sick with the flu nearly every year. And Niall never failed to bring her to the doctor, get her prescriptions from the pharmacy, cook her favorite soup, and take all the sass and insults she threw his way when she was sick. 

Then, when Niall would inevitably get the same thing she had, she would do it all in return, even though she complained the entire time. 

She was a pain and a nuisance, and yet… 

“To love and to cherish, till death do us part.” 

Niall swallowed, realizing too late what he was doing. 

“According to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.” 

He was royally and completely screwed. _Shit,_ he thought to himself. 

Niall did his best to act normal during their first dance, but Kit saw right through him, “What’s up with you? You’re acting like you have a stick up your ass.” 

He shrugged and tried to smile, “Just thinking.” 

“I have it under great authority that as my husband you can no longer be vague.” 

“Is that so?” He laughed. 

She nodded, all serious, “Yes, one hundred percent factual.” 

He glanced around at all their friends and family watching them, “It’s just. We actually did it. We’re married now.” 

“Technically we were already married when we got our license earlier this week.” 

He pinched her, “You know what I mean.” 

“Yeah,” She smiled, “I do. But, we’re good, right?” 

“Of course we are. 

She rested her head against his chest with a sighed. 

As soon as the dance was over, Niall rushed to find Harry who was already at the bar with who knows how many drinks already in him. 

“Harry, there you are!” 

Harry spread his arms out, sloshing his drink over the rim of the glass, “Here I am!” 

“I need to talk to you,” He tried to grab Harry’s arm and pull him away from prying eyes, but Harry pulled away. 

“No way, man. This is your night. You and Kit in love. Tying the knot. Committing yourself to each other forever. It’s quite sweet even given the circumstances.” 

“This is important, mate.” 

Harry gave him a stern look. Well, as stern of a look as he could give while drunk, “Nuhuh. What’s important is that your bride is over there by herself when you should be over there with her.” Harry gave him a shove, “Now, off you go.” 

Niall really wanted and needed to talk to his friend, but Harry, even drunk, had a point. He looked over at Kit who was smiling and watching the two of them. When she saw him watching and gave a little wave, his stomach twisted. 

“Okay, fine. But we have to have a talk as soon as the wedding is over.” 

“After the wedding you have your honeymoon. You’re going to get l-a-i-d.” 

“Harry!” 

“It’s fine! Everyone knows what happens the first night. But I promise I’ll be all yours as soon as you get back.” 

Before Niall could argue anymore, Harry disappeared into the crowd. 

Their friends all pitched in to pay for their wedding night stay at a local hotel. It was probably the nicest hotel Anna Katherine would ever stay in, and she couldn’t find it in her to care that it was because of an illegal sham of marriage. Her and Niall sat on the couch, still in the clothes from the reception, munching on the food they ordered from room service, and watched Netflix. 

“You think it’s weird that people think we’re having sex right now?” 

Niall looked at her a little surprised, “Uh, maybe a little. Little do they know we’re Netflixing without the chill.” 

She laughed and stole a piece of pepperoni from his pizza, “The preferable way to Netflix.” 

The drive to New Orleans started well enough. Anna Katherine had a bag full of snacks, a mug full of coffee, and the perfect road trip playlist. Niall was quiet, but she put that off to him being tired after a week of wedding activities and a long night of watching Netflix. It started going downhill thirty minutes in. 

Niall glanced at the radio and then at her, “What even is this music?” 

She looked down at the phone, “It’s nineties pop. What do you have against that?” 

“Kit,” He groaned, “Please don’t make me listen to this the entire way to New Orleans.” 

She skipped the song, “I’ll put on a playlist of your choice if you take the next exit so I can pee.” 

He shot her a look, “Already? Really? How much coffee did you drink this morning?” 

“The normal amount.” She shrugged.

Their bickering continued after they stopped for her to use the bathroom when they couldn’t agree on a playlist or where to stop for lunch. 

“I want Chick-fil-a.” Anna Katherine pointed to the sign of food options as they passed by. 

“It’s Sunday. They’re closed.” 

She let out a long groan, “I’m hungry, Ni!” 

“Well you didn’t want Taco Bell or McDonalds or Wendy’s…” 

“Let’s go to Taco Bell.” 

“We literally just passed by four of them.” 

When they had to wait another forty minutes to find a Taco Bell, he glared the entire time. 

As they started getting closer to the city, Anna Katherine plugged in the bed and breakfast’s address into her phone. 

“It says you need to take the second exit that’s coming up.” 

Niall shook his head, “That would take us into traffic.” 

“But it’s Sunday. It shouldn’t be busy.” 

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” 

Anna Katherine thought she knew what she was doing, too, but she stayed quiet and let Niall do it his way. Fifteen minutes later, they were stuck in traffic and barely moving. 

When she gave him a look, he just shook his head, “Don’t even start.” 

“All I’m saying is, if I pee on myself, I’m blaming you.” 

“Really? Again?” 

She shrugged, “Small bladder.” 

Eventually Anna Katherine was following Niall into the B&B while staring at her phone, and it wasn’t until she looked at the email from her mom that she remembered she forgot to change the type of room for them. 

She looked up from her phone and was about to tell Niall, but when she saw him, he was already talking to what seemed to be one of the owners. 

“Oh, yes. The Horans! We have a beautiful room with one of our queen sized beds for the two of you. Is this your first time staying with us?” 

“Queen sized? I thought we had two…” He turned around, and she knew the moment he saw her he realized she had forgotten to change the room. After a moment, he muttered, “You’re going to be the death of me.” 

The woman looked worried, “Is there a problem?” 

He shook his head. “Just a misunderstanding. It’s fine. Our room?” 

“Yes! Your room is on the second floor on the left, and it has a balcony that the two of you can enjoy your morning coffee on. It’s really one of our better rooms. I hear this is for your honeymoon?” 

She noticed the muscles in his back tense up, “Yeah, Anna Katherine and I just got married last night.” 

The woman seemed pleased for them, “That’s wonderful! I’m sure you two will enjoy your time here. How long have the two of you been dating?” 

“A few months, but we’ve known each other for five years.” 

“Oh, that sounds like a wonderful and romantic story. You both will have to be sure to share it with me before you head off!” 

“We’ll be sure to do that, ma’am.” 

Once they were in their room with the door closed, Niall spun on her, “You had one job, Kit!” 

She grimaced, “I had a busy week! I was preparing for a _wedding,_ Niall. In case you forgot.” 

He ran his hands over his face, “How could I?” 

She sat on the bed beside the bags Niall dropped there, “It’s going to be fine. We’ve been sharing a bed all week. What’s three more nights?” 

Niall gave her a look, and she couldn’t quite read the look in his eyes. 

“Don’t be mad at me. We’re supposed to be newlyweds fully in love! Besides, how could you stay mad at me?” She blinked up at him, and felt like she had won when she saw a small smile. 

“You’re ridiculous, and I still can’t believe you forgot the one thing I asked you to do.” 

“You knew who I was when you asked me to marry you.” She gave him a big smile, “You’re stuck with me now.” 

He shook his head, but he wasn’t scowling anymore and came to sit beside her. “What do you want to do today?” 

She clasped her hands together, “Well, dear husband,” She tried not to be hurt by the scowl that appeared when she said husband, “I’m so glad you asked. Cafe Du Monde is the first on the list. I need beignets and a cafe au lait STAT.” 

“More coffee? Jesus, woman.” 

_“And then,”_ She gave him a pointed look. “We can go to the zoo and the aquarium before dinner.” 

“And where do you want to go for dinner?” 

She shrugged, “I’ll let you decide that.” 

“How gracious of you.” 

She patted his shoulder as she stood up, “Now I’m going to go pee before my bladder explodes.” 

They took an uber to Decatur Street and walked with the crowds to Cafe Du Monde. Niall ordered a cafe au lait for her, a black coffee for himself, and two orders of beignets. Anna Katherine ended up eating all three of hers and one of Niall’s, who only rolled his eyes when she snatched it off his plate. She sneezed then, causing powdered sugar to fly up around them, which then made them start coughing. 

Niall, who was more amused than she thought he should be by her coughing fit, grabbed his phone to snap a picture. When he flipped it around to show her, she couldn’t deny that it was a cute – if not funny – photo of her. 

“C’mon. Selfie time. We gotta post all these pictures on Instagram. That’s what in love people do.” 

Niall rolled his eyes at her again, but complied to her wishes. 

She took pictures of him on the steps in front Cafe Du Monde and in front of St. Louis Cathedral. She laughed when he grabbed her sides and tickled her, telling her that if she was going to take pictures of him the entire trip, they would have to take more selfies together. They did, and when an older couple saw them, they offered to take their pictures. As they were leaving, the couple told them how good they looked together. 

Even though they didn’t have to put on a show for anyone, Anna Katherine still took his hand as they walked around the aquarium. They took their time walking through it, and Niall let her stop and stare at every jellyfish, every seahorse, and any other marine life she found slightly fascinating without a single complaint. 

They walked through the Garden District to the Audubon Zoo where Niall bought her a popsicle without her asking, and kept his arm around her waist as they looked at all the animals. She took his picture in front of the elephant fountain, and he took hers when she got on the back of the lion statue. And as they were leaving, he bought her a giant giraffe that was taller than she was. 

On their way back to the B&B, Niall was carrying it for her, “I don’t think I would’ve bought this if I had known I was going to be the one carrying it all the way back.” 

“You were stupid to think I was ever going to.” 

He cut his eyes at her, and then let out a laugh. “The things I do for you.” 

The next morning, Anna Katherine woke up to Niall bringing her coffee in bed and immediately launching into their itinerary. 

He went to the bathroom, but that didn’t stop him from talking. “I know you want to go on a swamp tour, which I don’t understand. But Diana, you met her yesterday remember?” He stuck his head to make sure she was listening, “She said there was a good deal where we could go on a swamp tour and a cemetery tour.” 

“Niall, can I at least take a sip of coffee before you start talking?” She took a sip with a sigh, “Also, why are we going on a cemetery tour?” 

“Because I think it would be cool. There’s also a ghost tour we can go on after. It’s a bundle deal.” 

“What about that Fleetwood Mac concert? You didn’t want to see if we could grab some tickets?” 

Niall came out of the bathroom with his toothbrush dangling out of his mouth, “Nah. It’s already sold out. I’m bummed, but it’ll be fine.” 

Anna Katherine smiled to herself when he turned to go back to the bathroom. “I figured we can just grab dinner that looks good after the ghost tour.” 

“Or we can come back here?” 

“Or that.” 

All the tours they went on were fun and exciting, but all Anna Katherine really wanted to do was go back to their room to give Niall the surprise she’d been hiding from him all week. She rarely hid anything from him, and something this exciting was eating her up.

She convinced him to come straight back to the room after the ghost tour, and when Niall decided to take a shower before dinner, she grabbed the Fleetwood Mac tickets that were hidden in her suitcase, and placed them under his wallet. 

While he was taking a shower, she changed into a dress Nat lent her and touched up her makeup. When he came back out, she was sitting in one of the chairs by the window and did her best not to act as giddy as she felt. She watched as he walked to where his wallet was to slide it in his pocket, but when he picked it up, he paused. 

His brows knitted together, “What’s this?” 

She watched as he read the print on the tickets and as realization hit him. But, still, he was quiet. She stood up and walked closer to him, “I, uh, had some help from Harry. I know seeing them live is like a dream for you or something. And I couldn’t let you be here on the same night as their show and not see them. You can think of it as a wedding present or–” 

She was shocked into silence when he turned around and kissed her. And she was kissing him back, wrapping her arms around his neck, feeling his damp hair between her fingers, and his hands gripping her hips. 

It was like someone dumped ice water on her when he pulled away, running a hand through his hair. “Kit, these are amazing! How did you even pay for these?” 

She tried to process what just happened. Niall had kissed her, and she had definitely kissed him back, when there wasn’t any audience or need to. She shook her head, “I, uh. What? What was that?” 

Niall tore his eyes away from the tickets and blinked down at her, as if just now realizing what he had done. He blinked again, “Oh, sorry. I just got caught up in the moment. It’s not like we haven’t kissed before and,” He looked at the tickets again, “Oh my God, Kit these are seriously good seats!” 

Anna Katherine was still reeling from the kiss and was trying to catch up. She felt like she was still stuck in the kiss, the way his lips melded against hers and… 

“Thank Harry for that, not me.” 

Niall shook his head, “No way. Don’t pass the credit to someone else. Seriously,” He looked at her again, and she could feel his joy radiating off of him, “How did you afford these?” 

She shrugged, “I saved my tips for an entire month.” 

The way he was looking at her, like she was his favorite thing in the entire world, made her stomach swoop low. “You’re amazing, Kit.” 

She laughed, “Yeah, well we need to get going before we miss it.”

Niall grabbed their jackets and all but dragged her out of the building. 

Niall was still riding the high from the night before when they woke up the next morning. They slept in and missed breakfast, but they went to a restaurant Diana recommended for lunch and walked around the Garden District and the French Quarter. They popped into shops and took their time enjoying the scenery. They found a quirky coffee shop where they sat for an hour while Kit got her fill of caffeine and Niall talked about the concert nonstop. 

“You haven’t stopped smiling since you found the tickets.” 

His smile widened when he looked at her, “I just…” He trailed off and laughed, running his hands through his hair. “You really out did yourself.” 

She smiled at him, and he had to fight the urge not to lean over the table and kiss her again. Last night was a mistake. He hadn’t been lying when he told her he got caught up in the moment, but it was one thing to kiss her when others were around. It was a completely different thing to kiss her in the privacy of their own room. The lines were blurred already. He didn’t need to go blurring them anymore than they already were. 

“I’m just glad you’re happy, Niall.” 

They both agreed that having an early night was needed for them to rest up before they headed back home the next day. Which was why they found themselves huddled on the bed, an empty pizza box discarded at their feet, and Niall’s laptop resting on his knees while they watched a movie. 

As the movie came to an end, Niall moved the laptop over to Kit, “Here, hold this for a second.” 

He could feel her watching him as he leaned off the bed and grabbed something from his backpack. When he grabbed what he was looking for, he took the laptop back from Kit, and put the book he had grabbed in her lap. 

They were both quiet as she lifted it. She glanced at him curiously, “What’s this?” 

Smirking, he said, “Open it and find out.” 

She did, flipping through the pages, and she gasped when she saw all the polaroid pictures. 

“We didn’t have a photographer for the wedding, and to be honest even if we did, they wouldn’t have been able to hold a light next to your talent. But I gave Nat and Harry a camera and asked them to take photos.” He took a breath, “Even if we are going to eventually divorce, I want you to be able to remember this day.” 

She stopped at a picture of Louis drinking from a champagne bottle and beside it was another of Patty in the middle of Cupid’s Shuffle. When she turned the page, there were pictures of just them. Her looking up at him smiling, him laughing at her dancing, and the two of them whispering to each other while everyone else looked on. 

“Niall this is…” She ran her hands over the pictures. “When did you even have time to put this together?” 

He shrugged, “You’re a heavy sleeper and sleep in late.” 

She looked at him for a moment and then back down at the photobook resting in her lap. When she closed it and put it at the end of the bed by the empty pizza box, he watched her every movement. She swung a leg over his lap so she was straddling him and placed her hands on his shoulders. He could feel his heart beating in his chest, and his hands found themselves resting on her hips. Her eyes flicked to his lips, and his hands roamed up under her shirt. When she finally leaned down and pressed her lips to his, he felt like he could finally breathe again. 

She ran her tongue across his lips, and when he returned the favor the kiss deepened and then... 

And then, Kit pulled away, slid off his lap, and walked towards the bathroom. At the last second, she spun around on her heel with a smirk, “Sorry, just got caught up in the moment.” 

After she disappeared into the bathroom, Niall closed his eyes and banged his head against the headboard with a groan. 

The first night Kit and Niall were on their honeymoon, Nat found herself at Harry’s with a very excited Fox sniffing her head to toe. Harry bribed her to come over with the promise of leftover wedding booze, and he definitely didn’t disappoint. There were at least eleven bottles of champagne left that sat on his kitchen counter. 

While he opened a bottle, she stayed on the floor petting Fox. “I can take her tomorrow night if you want me to.” 

Harry walked in with two glasses and the opened bottle, “Nah. It’s fine. I work late, though. So if you can come by after you get off to walk her?” 

Nat took a glass from him, “Yeah, I can do that. I can come by around 3:30.” 

He raised his eyebrows, “That’s early.” 

“I’m a teacher, Harry.” 

“Oh, yeah.” He took a sip, “I knew that. What grade?” 

“Kindergarten.” 

Harry nearly spat out the champagne, “What? Seriously?” When she nodded, he laughed. 

“What?” She looked offended, “What’s so funny about that?” 

“I just can’t imagine you with little kids. Is it a bootcamp?” 

She slapped his arm, “I’m great with kids, thank you very much. I got teacher of the year two years in a row.” 

“Wow, impressive.” 

“What about you, Styles. What job did you finally land on?” 

“I’m a children’s counselor.” 

“Wait, for real?” 

“For real, for real.” 

Nat took another sip and looked Harry up and down, “That doesn’t go along with the Harry I have in my mind.” 

He shrugged, “Sorry to disappoint, Natalie.” 

The second night Niall and Kit were on their honeymoon, Harry came home to find Nat cooking dinner and feeding scraps to Fox. 

When he shot her a questioning look, she shrugged. “I usually spend the evenings at the bar with Kit, who isn’t here.” 

“So I’m your stand-in.”

She smirked, “Exactly. Now come taste this and tell me if it needs anything else.” 

On the third and last day of the honeymoon, Harry called and asked if she wanted to order out. Nat arrived at his place with worksheets to go over in one hand and the food he’d ordered for them in the other. She sat on his floor, and his coffee table became her desk. They were both only half watching whatever was on his TV. 

Eventually the silence got to him, “Why hasn’t Kit dated much?” 

Still focused on the papers in front of her, Nat said, “She really changed after the breakup between her and Jonah.” 

“How so?” 

“She closed herself off. Didn’t really let anyone know her anymore.” She looked up then, and tapped the purple flair pen she’d been using against her chin. 

“You’re worried?” 

“She’s always been different with Niall, but I think the lines are getting blurred for both of them. I don’t want to see her get hurt again. I don’t know if she can handle another heartbreak like that, especially if it’s with him.” 

Harry couldn’t help sounding defensive when he asked, “You think Niall would hurt her?” 

“Not on purpose.” 

“Yeah,” He let out a sigh, “I don’t think Kit would hurt him on purpose either. But I also think it’s inevitable.” 

She put the pen down and turned to look at him, “You think we should’ve tried harder to talk them out of it?” 

“We’ve been over this, Nat. All we can do now is be the friends they need us to be.”


	5. Fifth Commandment

**Fifth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Fall In Love With Each Other.**

_ Niall pops a cookie in his mouth. He thinks for a moment and then, “One obviously needs to be that we can’t fall in love with each other.”  _

_ “Ha!” Anna Katherine laughs, “That’s not going to be a problem.”  _

* * *

Niall grabbed the spare key that sat underneath the dying cactus by his friend’s door, not bothering to knock or warn his friend of his arrival. Harry was sitting on the back of the couch on the phone. He waved when Niall walked in, but that didn’t stop Niall from blurting out, “I’m in love with Kit.” 

Harry’s eyes went wide, and Niall collapsed on the floor and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

He heard Harry say, “Uh, yeah, I’m going to have to call you back. Yeah, everything is fine. Niall is just… having a crisis. Yeah, I’ll see you tonight.” 

A small part of Niall was curious as to who Harry was seeing tonight, but a larger more selfish part of Niall only cared about his recent self discovery. 

Harry peered at him from his perch on the couch, “You’re in love with your wife? Wow. Shocker.” 

Anna Katherine walked into Nat's apartment as she was ending a phone call. “Is everything alright? Well, keep me updated. We’re still on for tonight? Alright, see you then.” 

When Nat hung up, Anna Katherine went into the kitchen in search of food, “Who was that?” 

“No one important.” Nat followed her. “How was the honeymoon?” 

“Niall kissed me.” 

Nat’s eyes went wide, “He  _ what?”  _

“I think we should start at the beginning, mate.” 

Niall was still glaring at Harry, “You would have already known the beginning if you hadn’t gotten drunk at my wedding and weren’t a complete useless ass.”

“I see that we’re feisty. I think we both need a beer for this conversation.” 

By the time Harry came back with two beers, Niall had pulled himself off the floor and was leaning against the couch. He happily took the beer Harry handed him. 

“It all started during our vows.”

“When you looked constipated?” 

“I was nervous! When I had to repeat them back to the preacher, I realized I really do mean them, and that’s when it hit me. I love her.”

“I still don’t see why it’s a bad thing that you love your wife.” 

“I lied to the government, H. We told them this was legit. I made an oath to  _ God!  _ I wouldn’t be surprised if he smote me down at any moment.” 

“This is what you wanted. This was our entire plan.” 

“But then I kissed her!” 

“That,” Harry said, trying to hold in a cough, “Was not part of the plan.” 

“She gets on my last nerve! You know what she had to do all last week? Just one thing. All I asked of her was to make sure she went behind her mom and changed our one bed to a two bed. Want to know what she did? Not that. So I had to spend the entire honeymoon sleeping in the same bed as Anna Katherine.” 

“Once again, she’s your wife. Normal.” 

“She snuggles like a damn cat. How am I supposed to go back to sleeping alone knowing she’s right across the hall after over a week of sleeping in the same bed?” 

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Niall didn’t let him get a word in, “And then she goes and gets me Fleetwood Mac tickets. I had no choice but to kiss her!” 

“That one is on you, mate.” 

“And you know those polaroids? I gave them to her last night, and she had the audacity to  _ straddle  _ me while making out with me and then just walk away like it meant  _ nothing _ and say, ‘I just got caught up in the moment.’ Who does that?!” Niall took a drink of his beer, “And now I have to live with the fact that I married my best friend, that I am in love with her, and that I am going to have to divorce her.” 

When Harry stayed quiet, Niall turned to see him texting, “Who could you possibly be texting right now in the middle of my crisis?”

“Sorry, mate. I’m all ears now.” 

“Yeah, he kissed me after I gave him the concert tickets.” 

Nat’s phone buzzed, and when she checked it, she coughed. “So, he kissed you? Nothing else happened? Nothing else more.. Exciting?” 

“Nope.” 

“Interesting.” 

She shot Nat a glance as she grabbed a bag of grapes, “What?” 

“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you kissed him back or if things escalated.” 

She popped a grape in her mouth, “Nope.” 

Niall felt Harry watching him. He sighed, “What, H?” 

“I just need to point out that I saw this coming from the beginning.” 

“Are you going to rub that in my face or be helpful?” 

“I don’t see why I can’t do both,” Harry shrugged. “So was the trip completely awful?” 

Niall slid back down with a  _ thud  _ as his head hit the floor. “Not at all. It was great. She was great. I mean, yeah, she forgot to change our beds, and she yelled at me the entire way there for not going her way. And she has the bladder the size of a pea. Every morning I woke up to her damn hair in my mouth and her stupid socked feet shoved between my legs, but none of those things bothered me as much as they should have.” 

“Niall, mate…” 

He let out another groan, “She bought me fucking Fleetwood Mac tickets. Do you know how good those seats were? And I just made her a dumbass photo album. While we were there, I don’t know. Walking around New Orleans and all, it felt like we were a proper couple. I had to keep reminding myself that we weren’t. This entire situation is so complicated.” 

Harry joined him on the floor, “You ever think you should just be honest with her?” 

“What?” Niall sat up, “No way. I can’t tell her that during our wedding I realized I was in love with her!” 

“What was I thinking? Being in love with your wife on the day of your wedding. And then, a complete idiot I am, for thinking you should tell her. Your wife.” 

“It’s not real.” 

“I don’t think it can get much more real. According to the government and God, you sealed the deal.” 

He buried his face in his hands, “How am I supposed to hide the fact that I’m in love with her?” 

Harry was quiet for a moment before he said, “Can I be honest with you?” 

Niall nodded. 

“You’ve been acting like you are in love with her for nearly as long as you’ve known her. Ah-ha, don’t argue. I’ve seen it first hand, Niall. I don’t know if you have been in love with her that long and just didn’t realize it, or if that’s just how you are with her. It honestly doesn’t matter. The point is, don’t try to change it. Don’t hide it. That’s when she’ll notice something is up. Which, as I’ve made very clear, I don’t think is a bad idea if she knew, but if you want to keep your feelings from her… just keep acting how you have been.” 

“I’m so screwed.” 

Harry nodded solemnly, “Yeah, you are.” 

That night Anna Katherine was in the kitchen cooking dinner when she heard Niall come home. She called out to him, and a short while later he and Fox joined her. 

She paused cutting up the vegetables she was planning to roast to look over her shoulder at him, “How was Harry?” 

Niall sat at the table and watched her. He gave her a small shrug, “The same.” 

She finished cutting, and turned around leaning against the counter to really look at him, “You okay? You were quiet all the way home, and you ran out of here as soon as we dropped our bags.” 

Niall scratched his jaw, and she kept her eyes on him when he stood up and walked over to her. His eyes roamed over her face, and there was a brief moment when she was sure he was about to kiss her again. When he instead reached around her to pop a bite in his mouth, she didn’t want to analyze the feeling of disappointment that coiled up in her stomach. 

“I’m fine.” He gave her one of his endearing and soft smiles, “Promise.” 

She shoved that strange emotion deep down and nodded, “Well, if you want to talk, you know I’m here.” 

He reached out and gave her hip a gentle squeeze, “Thanks.” 

“Also, Patricia called. Alex is hosting a family dinner tomorrow night.” She turned around so she could focus on the food and not him, “I had to rearrange my shifts, but I figured it out. Does that work for you?” 

“Yep. I can come straight there from work.” 

“Great. Perfect.” 

Later while they watched Netflix, they started off on separate ends of the couch. It was only a matter of time before Kit slowly but surely stretched out and made her way over to him. By the end of it, her head was in his lap and she was sound asleep. 

Niall checked the time. It was late. He would regret staying up even longer when he had to get up early for work the next day, but he couldn’t convince himself to get up. Reluctantly, he allowed himself a few more minutes watching Kit sleep. 

He brushed her hair out of her face and smiled when she let out a long breath. His smile disappeared when an intrusive thought bombarded his mind. 

_ You’ve ruined her life.  _

He yanked his hand away from her, and glared at it as if it were to be blamed for all of his problems. He stood up, careful not to disturb or wake her, and pulled a blanket over her before disappearing into his own room and his empty bed. 

Despite living a short ten minute drive away from her brother, Anna Katherine hadn’t been able to spend one-on-one time with him since she first told him about her marrying Niall. Between wedding planning, wedding activities, work, and his studying, there were few chances they had where their schedules matched up where they could hang out. So when Alex texted her saying she could come over early, she took him up on his offer. 

Alex didn’t have any roommates, but he still managed to somehow have a nice one bedroom apartment he could afford. It wasn’t as nice as hers and Niall’s, but it held up against Patricia’s critical eye. He lived on the fifth floor, which was a pain since the complex didn’t have an elevator, and there was a fire escape by his bedroom window that he sat on when he needed a smoke – a habit that neither Patricia or Dr. Timothy could ever find out he picked up. 

When Anna Katherine walked in, slightly out of breath, she was greeted with the sight of her older brother dancing to Hanson while doing last minute cleaning. With a laugh, she immediately joined in and started singing along. 

When the song ended, they both collapsed on the couch. Alex nudged her with his foot and wiggled his eyebrows, “So, how was the honeymoon?” 

“It was fine,” She checked her fingernails. “We went to the zoo and aquarium. I had my fill of beignets and live music. I gave Niall those concert tickets I told you about, and he gave me this really sweet and beautiful photobook from the wedding.” 

“With the pictures Nat and Harry were taking all night?” 

She nodded, “Yep.” 

He gave her a piercing look, “You’re hiding something.” 

She slid lower into the couch, “He kissed me when I gave him the tickets.” 

There was a beat, “And?” 

“I might’ve gotten him back by straddling him the next night.” 

Alex made a choking sound, “Are we sure–” 

Anna Katherine sat up then, “It’s just frustrating, ya know? I’ve been friends with him for five years, and during that entire time I have never once felt sexually attracted to him! Not even once! Harry, sure. But, I mean who wouldn’t with those lips of his? Then he goes and kisses me like that, and now it’s all I can think about!” She blows out a breath, “Yesterday I thought he was going to kiss me again. I  _ wanted  _ him to kiss me again, but instead he was just reaching over to grab a fucking sweet potato.” 

Alex was quiet for a moment. “I, um, that might’ve been TMI for your older bro.” When she glared at him, he put his hands up, “But if you need someone to vent to, I will definitely be that person.” 

“Thanks. It’s just, he’s my best friend. This is weird, right?” 

Alex snorted, “It’s been weird since the beginning.” 

“But I shouldn’t be wanting to kiss him!” She stared up at the ceiling, “I think he might be my favorite person to kiss, ever.” 

“You did marry him, Kit. The lines were sure to get blurred.”

“They’ve never gotten blurred before.” 

“You’d never kissed him before now.” 

At the look on her face, Alex freezes. “Wait, you haven’t kissed him before this all started, right?” 

“Well…” She twisted her fingers, “There was this one time right after Jonah and I broke up and…” 

“ _ What?!”  _

“It was just that once and it didn’t even go very far. All undergarments stayed on.” 

“Undergarments!” 

“It didn’t mean anything. We were both drunk and it was right after we moved in together and…” 

“So you  _ have  _ been sexually attracted to him before now!” 

“I have not!” 

“Kit, you’re telling me your clothes came off!” 

“Okay, so maybe drunk Kit thinks about shirtless Niall from time to time. It means nothing.” 

He gave her an incredulous look, “Anna…” 

“Don’t use that tone with me. You sound like our mother.” 

“I think you’re in denial.” 

And then, as if summoned, Niall walked through the door. 

“Hey, guys. Sorry for getting here early. It didn’t take as long to get here from the office as I thought it would.” He looked at Anna Katherine then, “Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?” 

While she spluttered for a response, Alex stood up. She turned to her brother, “Where are you going?” 

“Gotta order the food.” 

“You’re supposed to be cooking!” 

“I ran out of time. Just don’t tell Patricia, and it’ll all be dandy.” 

Before Anna Katherine could argue further, Niall sat down next to her and patted her knee, “You good?” 

She snapped her head back to Niall, “Uh,” She thought back to her conversation with Alex, and immediately pushed it out of her mind. “Yeah, I’m good.” 

When he smiled and her stomach did a somersault, she wondered how right her brother actually was. 

Alex ordered from an Italian restaurant, and when the food arrived, Anna Katherine sat on the couch with her legs and arms crossed as she glared at her older brother. 

“I cannot believe you are getting out of cooking family dinner and lying to Mom about it.” 

Alex started taking the food out of the bags, “You’re just mad that you never thought to do this before.” 

“No, I’m annoyed because we all know Patricia isn’t going to say a word to you about it even if she realizes it’s takeout, but,” Anna Katherine huffed, “If I would even think about doing something like this, she’d somehow know even before she got to the door.” 

Niall stayed quiet, which was probably wise on his part when the two Tran siblings were bickering, but he reached over and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. 

She sighed and turned her focus on Niall, “Just watch. Patricia isn’t going to say a word about it.” 

He laughed, “Whatever you say, love.” 

“Where is my handsome son-in-law?”

Anna Katherine, Niall, and Alex all looked up from their phones when Timothy and Patricia walked in looking as put together as ever. 

Anna Katherine stared at her mom, “What am I? Chopped liver?”

Patricia looked right over her, “I just saw you on Saturday. Don’t be needy, Anna Katherine.” 

“You saw Niall, too!” 

Thankfully, her dad at least loved her more than Niall, “Kit, you are definitely not chopped liver in my eyes.” 

She stood up to go give him a hug, “Thanks, Dad.” 

“Now let me have a look at you. Where’s that honeymoon glow?” 

_ She groaned, “Dad!”  _

She heard Alex snort behind her, and she spun around to glare at him. Her entire family were traitors. 

Patricia was pulling away from hugging Niall, “Honey, you look exhausted.” She felt his forehead with the back of her hand, “You’re not sick are you? Where’s that post-honeymoon glow? Anna Katherine did something, didn’t she? I bet she had to pee five times just on the way home.” 

Anna Katherine shot daggers at Niall. She knew she wasn’t going to like how he responded by the way his lips curled into a smirk, “Oh, Patty–” 

“No, no. Call me mom now.” 

“ _ Mom,  _ she peed four times on the way there and then proceeded to get us stuck in traffic.” 

Anna Katherine went still and glared at Niall. He winced when he saw, and turned back to her mom to say, “Your daughter was the perfect road trip partner over these past few days,  _ Mom.”  _

The glare continued as he walked over to her and kissed her cheek. She didn’t hesitate shoving him away, “You’re the absolute worst.” 

“You love me. I’m your husband.” 

“Don’t remind me.” 

Her dad chuckled behind them, “Oh, young love.” 

The three of them walked to the kitchen, when left alone, she leaned against Niall. “Honeymoon glow?” 

He snorted, “How do we even fake that?” 

“I mean,” She felt herself begin to smile, “I did marry you, so I’m not above making our own glow.” 

Niall was smiling when she glanced up at him, “Would you like the Horan Supreme Glow or the Horan Meat Lovers Glow?” 

She broke out in laughter, “I don’t know if I’m repulsed or if I’m now craving pizza.” 

“I think you’re craving–” 

“No!” She squealed, ducked under his arm, and stepped away from him, “That’s enough of that.” 

She didn’t wait for a response as she walked into the kitchen with the others, and she heard Niall laughing as he followed her. 

Anna Katherine was pushing her food around on her plate. Niall nudged her, “Not hungry?” 

She shot him a look, “I lost my appetite. Wonder why.” She muttered under her breath. 

“What was that, Anna Katherine?” 

She turned to look at Patricia, “What? Nothing. What have you been up to since the wedding, Mom?” 

“Well,” Patricia placed the cloth napkin in her lap, “Your father and I have been planning our family Thanksgiving, but we realized we didn’t know what your plans were.” 

She looked up, surprised, “My plans?” 

Patricia nodded, “Of course. You’re married now. I didn’t know if any of Niall’s plans would interfere with ours.” 

“Oh…” She glanced at Niall who was leaning back in his chair smiling. 

Thankfully, he had a better response than she did, “We don’t have much of a plan, Mrs. Patty. We have our Friendsgiving dinner, but that’ll be the Wednesday night before. Whatever you and Timmy have planned will work for us, I’m sure.” 

Patricia nodded, pleased with the news, “Wonderful. Family will start arriving fairly early, so I would appreciate it if you all came to help out around nine.” Anna Katherine nearly spat out her drink when her mom gave a pointed look at Alex, “That means you, too, dear.” 

Alex looked offended, “When have I ever been late?” 

Timothy laughed, and Patricia just gave him another pointed look, “Punctuality is not your strong suite. That is one area your sister has you beat.” 

“I feel like I should be offended, but that was also a compliment so I’m not really sure how to respond.” 

“No response is necessary, sweetie.” 

Anna Katherine snapped her mouth closed, and Niall chuckled beside her. 

Niall watched as Kit took another bite of her cheesecake, and then swooped in with his own fork and stole a bite. When she glared at him, he looked away and did his best to act innocent. 

Timmy took his finishing bite before he asked, “So, how was the honeymoon for the newlyweds?” 

Kit choked, and Niall took a moment to rub and pat her back before answering the question. “It was fine. New Orleans in November is much better than the summer months. The humidity was near non-existent.” 

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Patty said. “How was the bed and breakfast? Was the room up to par?” 

Kit and him looked at each other, both of them trying to hide a smile when they remembered their argument about the beds, “It was really nice, Mom.” 

“We can’t thank you enough for giving us such a special honeymoon,” Niall gave Patty the charming smile he knew she loved. 

“Oh, it was nothing, Niall. It was the least we could do for the two of you. A wedding is such a special and important moment in a person’s life.” Patty took the last bite of cheesecake and placed her utensils and napkin on her plate, “You all will never guess what happened.” She barely gave anyone time to guess before she went on, “I was catching up with Susan, and she was telling me this tragic news about her children.”

Timmy already looked both enthralled and confused, “Who now?” 

“Susan, you know, the new friend I made at the country club.” 

Timmy nodded, but he still looked unsure. “Oh, right.” 

“Anyway, her children. She recently found out that they have been laundering money through their four generation family business. Poor Susan has no idea whether to keep acting as if she knows nothing or to go to the authorities.” 

Niall felt Kit’s eyes on him, and he refused to look her way. “Really? That’s terrible.” 

Kit kicked him under the table, and he swatted her leg with his napkin. 

“I know, Niall! I’m just so glad that I have you three who would never lie to me about partaking in something illegal. Especially about something that can be so life altering. You three are too good for me, really.” 

Niall felt someone kick Kit, and when he looked around he saw Alex watching the two of them with wide eyes. 

Timmy, who was still looking at his wife, took a sip of his wine. “Which family is this again? Do we know the business?” 

Patty waved him off, “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t care about the details, but the  _ children.”  _

“Right, right,” Timmy nodded. “Those awful children.” 

Kit straightened up, “Well, Mom, you’ll never have to worry about us laundering money since we don’t have a family business.” 

“Right.” Patty gave her a look, “Lucky for us.” 

When Niall parked his car beside hers, Anna Katherine jumped out, slamming the door behind her, and pounced on him. “Niall! She  _ knows.”  _

Niall, much to her dismay, took his time gathering his things out of the car and locking it. He looked at her, “What?” 

“Patricia knows, Niall!” 

“I have no idea what you’re going on about.” 

“Susan! Susan doesn’t exist, Niall! My mom doesn’t have friends and she certainly doesn’t make  _ new  _ friends! She’s Susan! We're the illegally laundering awful children!” 

Niall sighed and ran his hand through his hair, “You’re overthinking this, Kit.” 

“You’re  _ underthinking _ this! What if she goes to…” Anna Katherine trails off, and then, “Who would she even go to for an illegal marriage?” 

Niall started herding her out of the parking garage and to the elevator, “I don’t know. The same people we’ve been sending all of our documents to I guess.” 

“Right. Well, for all we know she has a meeting set up with them tomorrow! Soon you’ll be kicked out of the land of the free and I’ll be incarcerated. I will literally be living in the land of the free with absolutely no freedom. I can’t go to prison, Niall! I’m not cut out for it! I could barely handle timeout as a kid!” 

He ushered her into the elevator, pressed their button, and waited for the doors to close before turning to face her, “Anna Katherine?” 

“What if they’re listening right now? What if she already went to them, and that was her second guessing herself and giving us a clue! What if we just gave them all the information they needed to cuff haul me off?” 

The elevator opened with a  _ ding!  _ And, once again, Niall was ushering her through the doors, down the hall, and to their door. “Kit?” 

“This is it. This is our last night of freedom, and I had to spend it with the mother who turned me in to the Feds.” 

Niall placed his backpack he had been carrying gently on the floor, and moved so he was facing her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and again, “Kit?” 

She finally looked at him with wide panicked eyes, “What?” 

“Patricia would never turn you in to the Feds, and even if she would, she’d never do that to me.” 

“This isn’t a joke, Niall!” 

He smirked, “I know. I wasn’t joking. Listen, your mom does not know. Our marriage is perfectly legal and sanctioned as far as she is concerned. Now, take a deep breath.” 

She did as he said, and then took another and another until he nodded. “That’s good, love. Now, on the off chance your mother does think that this is a fake and illegal marriage… She has no proof. We’ve been friends long enough to make anyone think this is legitimate. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.” 

Anna Katherine sucked in a breath. She let her eyes roam over his face and let the familiarities wash over and relax her. Niall brushed her hair out of her face and asked, “Do you trust me?” 

She nodded. “Good. Then trust me when I say everything is going to end up okay for both of us.” 

She nodded again, “You’re right.” 

And then there was that damn cocky smirk, “Of course I am, Kitten.” 

Niall gave her one more reassuring smile and booped her nose before turning the lock and pushing the door open. As soon as they walked through the doorway, all the serenity that enveloped her while listening to Niall evaporated.

“What the actual hell?”

Anna Katherine stepped past Niall and looked around their apartment. Shredded trash and rotten food covered nearly every inch. She spun around to point her finger at Niall, “Your dog did this.” 

“My dog? She’s our dog!” 

“You’re the one that adopted her without my permission.” 

He groaned, “Not this again. I thought we had moved past this.” 

The culprit, Fox Horan-Tran herself, chose that moment to prance out of Niall’s bedroom with an empty paper coffee cup dangling from her mouth. 

“Looks like she’s picked up your caffeine addiction, Kit.” 

“This isn’t funny. Nothing about tonight has been funny.” 

“Well, I thought that the Horan Supr–” 

“No! Not funny. Where’s your phone? This is all Harry’s fault.” 

“Why do you need my phone?” But he was already pulling his phone out of his pocket and handing it to her, “And how is this Harry’s fault?” 

She snatched the phone out of his hand, “Well she definitely did not do any of this before you thought it was a good idea for her to stay with  _ Uncle Harry.”  _ She typed in his passcode and went to his contacts to facetime Harry. 

He picked up almost immediately, “Maaate. How did the–” He stopped. “Oh. Hello, Angry Kit.” 

“You ruined my dog.” 

“Oh, now she’s your dog.” Niall muttered from behind. 

“Niall, what is your wife on about?” 

“Don’t talk like I’m not right here, Harry! You completely ruined Fox!” 

“How? We had a great time together. I even spoiled her by feeding her some of my leftover steak.” 

“You gave her  _ human food?”  _

“What’s wrong with human food? It’s meat. It’s not like it’s chocolate.” 

“Oh, Harry.” Niall sighed and shook his head, walking to the kitchen to find a trashbag to start cleaning up. 

“Harold–” 

“Not my name.” 

“I will never forgive you for this. You are losing custody rights of your God-dog.” 

Someone giggled, and Harry turned his head around to smile at them. Anna Katherine stopped what she was about to say, “Wait, who was that?” 

He turned back to his phone, “Oh, uh, no one.” 

“No, no. That wasn’t no one. I recognized that laugh.” 

Niall came back in the room then and peered around at the phone, “Does our Harry have a lady friend over?” 

“I certainly hope not because that sounded like–” 

Another giggle, and… 

“Natalie Thompson!” Anna Katherine was shocked into silence. 

“Hey, Nat.” Niall waved and then went on cleaning. 

“Harry, hand the phone to my friend right now.” Surprisingly, Harry did as she asked. When she finally saw Nat’s face on her screen, Anna Katherine gasped, “It is you!” 

“Of course it’s me. You’ve abandoned me to spend all your free time with your husband like a good little wife or something equally ridiculous. What did you expect me to do? Not have any friends?” 

“But this is Harry! You hate Harry!” 

“Heyyyyy!” 

“Hate might be a strong word. We found common ground co-parenting you two.” 

“Co-parenting?” Niall called from where he was digging trash out of the couch cushions, “We’re doing just fine on our own!” 

Nat rolled her eyes, “Sure, Niall.” 

Harry snatched his phone back, “Our friendship is none of your concern.” 

“I wouldn’t call it a friendship. More like a… an acquaintanceship.” 

“You’re not helping, Nat.” 

“Right. Sorry, sorry. Please go on, H.” 

“As I was saying, it’s none of your business. However, your fake marriage is very much our business.” 

“You know what?” Anna Katherine glared through the screen, “I can’t deal with either of you right now. I’m hanging up, but I just need you to know that you're both on visitation probation with Fox.” 

She ended the call and then marched up behind Niall and slid it in his back pocket, “I hate them.” 

“You love them.” 

She sighed and sat on the couch, “Maybe, but they’re annoying.” 

“They probably feel the same about us.” 

She noticed the half full trashbag, “Here. I’ll finish. You can go wash up. Patricia wasn’t lying when she said you looked exhausted.” 

Niall rolled his eyes, “Gee, thanks, Kit.” 

He handed her the bag, and once he had disappeared in the bathroom, Anna Katherine stood up with a long drawn out sigh, and began cleaning up Fox’s mess. 

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ U up?  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ What could you possibly want at this hour? _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ …  _ _   
_ _ I need a good cuddle  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ No. you have your bed.  _ _   
_ _ I have my bed. _ _   
_ _ All is right in the world.  _

_ Kit: _ _   
_ _ Please?  _

When he didn’t reply immediately, Anna Katherine grabbed her favorite pillow and padded over to Niall’s room. The door creaked when she pushed it open, and the light on his phone made it so she could see him looking at her. When she heard him sigh, she smiled and ran to her side of the bed. 

“Do we have to cuddle?” 

“I gave you the possibility of citizenship. The least you can do is cuddle me. C for C, Niall.” 

“Ugh, fine. Just get over here.” 

She smiled again and shimmied over next to him. She was sound asleep within minutes. 

Anna Katherine woke up when the first of Niall’s many alarms went off. She squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her grip on Niall. 

“Kit.” 

“No.”

“If you want me to turn the alarm off, you’re going to have to let me go.” 

“M’comfortable.” 

She could feel the vibrations in his chest when he chuckled. Reluctantly, she loosened her grip on him, and he rolled over to press snooze. When he rolled back and wrapped his arms around her, she hummed happily. 

The second time Anna Katherine woke up, she kept patting Niall, “Turn that damn thing off.”

“I would, but it’s yours this time, love.” 

She groaned and pulled away from his warmth to blindly pat around the bed for her phone. 

“What?” She held the phone to her ear, not bothering to look at who was calling. 

“I see you’re still not a morning person.” 

Her eyes flew open at the sound of the voice, and when she pulled the phone away to look at the number, she fully woke up. “Jonah?” 

He laughed, “The one and only. I didn’t wake you up did I?” 

Niall gave her a curious look, but she shook her head as she slid out of the bed and out of the room.

“No, uh, we were already getting up.” 

“We? Oh, yeah. I’m guessing the wedding went well?” 

“Of course.” She leaned against the wall in the hallway and rested her hand against her forehead, “Why are you calling, Jonah?” 

“Right. I have a client who is needing to revamp their site. They need photos and all, and they asked me to find a photographer I trusted. You were the first one to come to mind.” 

Anna Katherine didn’t know if she was speechless because of how early it was, because her ex was calling her for the first time since they parted ways two and a half years ago, or because he was offering her a job. 

She swallowed, and she was really wishing she had a cup of coffee before this conversation, “You want to hire me?” 

“Yeah.” And then as if second guessing himself, “Unless it would be too weird for us to work together.” 

“Even if it was, I’d do it for the money.” 

He chuckled, “Figured. So you’ll do it?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Awesome. I’ll send you an email with all the details, and we can set up a time for a meeting. Is your email still the same?” 

She nodded before remembering he couldn’t see her, “Yeah, it’s the same.” 

“Alright, I’ll send it to you today. I’ll let you get back to sleep now. Bye, Anna Katherine.” 

Before she could respond, the line went dead. 

She was resting her hands against the counter while watching the coffee drip into the pot when Niall came up behind her, resting his hand on the small of her back while he reached around her to get a mug of his own.

“You’re not going back to bed?” 

She shook her head, “Jonah offered me a job.” 

When she turned around, she revelled in the feeling of his hand trailing over her skin. Looking up at him, she was caught off guard by how soft he looked with his bedhead and half-asleep smile. 

“You gonna take it?” 

She nodded, “Can’t say no to a job.” 

When he just hummed, she asked, “What?” 

He took a step away from her and shrugged, “You don’t think it’s interesting that he comes begging you to take a job weeks after he found out we were getting married?”

She pulled herself up on the counter, “Are you jealous, Niall Horan?” 

He laughed, “No.” He poured her a cup before pouring himself some, “I might be a little overprotective, though.” 

She just stared at him. 

He sighed and wrapped his hands around his mug, “I don’t want him to hurt you again, Kit.” 

“He doesn’t have that kind of power over me anymore.” She reached her leg out to poke him with her toes, “You don’t have to worry about me.” 

“Maybe not,” He shrugged. “But I’m going to anyway.” 

Anna Katherine watched as he walked back to his bedroom. And she definitely was not intrigued by the way his muscles moved underneath his thin white shirt. 

“One day,” Nat said as she sipped the drink Kit slid in front of her, “You’re not going to make dumbass decisions, and I will no longer have anxiety. I want that day to happen, Kit. I want it to be now, but you keep making dumbass decisions.” 

Anna Katherine was behind the bar wiping things down as she listened to Nat prattle on, “Accepting a job offer is not a dumbass decision.” 

“It is when the one hiring you is the guy who shattered your heart.” 

Mack was at the other side of the bar, but when she heard that she called out, “Whoa, this sounds good! I need details!” 

As soon as she could, Mack came over to join the conversation, “Okay, so tell me more about this ass who broke our Kit’s heart.” 

“His name is Jonah,” Nat was more than willing to give her the information. “They dated for two years.” 

“Two and a half.” 

“Whatever. The point is they dated a while. They made plans for after graduation. A wedding was heavily implied.” 

“We really don’t have to talk about this.” 

“Then he just decides the plans they made together are null and void, packs up his things, and moves states, which leaves Kit without any concrete plan. Not to mention heartbroken, but the breakup is what really pushed her over the edge when–” 

“Natalie.” Anna Katherine gave her a flat look, “We really don’t need to rehash my dating history at my work.” 

Mack’s eyes widened, “This sounds like a doozy.” 

Nat nodded, “It was. And now, like an idiot, she’s agreed to work on a project with him.” 

“And Niall is okay with this?” 

For a moment, Anna Katherine forgot that Mack didn’t know the truth. By the look on her face, so had Nat. 

“Yeah,” Anna Katherine said after a moment, “He’s fine with it. He just doesn’t trust that the project will go through.” 

“By the sounds of it, he has a right not to trust Jonah. Sounds like a flake.” 

Later, when Mack was on her break and it was just Nat and Anna Katherine, Nat leaned over the bar and asked, “Niall is really okay with it?” 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t he be?” 

“You’re not the only one who was hurt by what he did, Kit.” 

“Niall is fine. I’m fine. We’re all fucking fine, Nat.” 

“Yeah, sure sounds like it.”

That night after cleaning up and changing, Anna Katherine tiptoed her way to Niall’s room and smiled when she saw her pillow waiting for her on her side of the bed. She crawled under the covers, and did her best not to disturb Niall. 

Her best was not good enough. He rolled over looking like sleep itself, “What time is it?” 

She winced, “Two. Go back to sleep.” 

He muffled something into his pillow and then reached out for her, “C’mere.” 

Anna Katherine giggled, “Now look who’s the cuddly one.” 

Niall ignored her comment and wrapped his arm around her to pull her against his chest. “Fox missed you tonight.” 

“Just Fox?” 

She felt him shake his head, and she looked up at him. He was already watching her with half closed eyes, “Maybe I did, too.” 

She buried into his chest, “You could always come visit me at the bar.” 

“Don’t wanna be a bother.” 

“You’re never a bother, Niall.” 

“Good.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “G’night, Kit. Love you.” 

She smiled into his chest, “Love you, too.” 

When his alarms went off the next morning, Anna Katherine pretended to still be asleep when he kissed her shoulder before going off to get ready. 

The week of Thanksgiving came with a rush of fall decorations, festivals, and pumpkin pie. 

“If I see another pumpkin pie, it’ll be too soon.” Niall went face down on the table with a groan. 

Anna Katherine paused whipping meringue for her lemon pie, “You know you don’t have to eat a slice every time you see one, right?” 

“That,” Niall said lifting his head slightly, “Is where you are mistaken. I must eat all the pumpkin.” 

“Then I don’t want to hear you complaining.” 

“Absolutely no sympathy. I’m hurt.” He went to stand up and made his way over to her. On his way, he eyed the other three pies that were already finished. “Why are you baking so many pies anyway?” 

“We have a standing mixer now, Niall. This is our contribution as a married couple. Plus,” She turned and pointed the whisk at him, “This is how I show my love.” 

He stuck out his bottom lip, “Why don’t you make more pies for me then?” 

“Because I obviously don’t love you.” 

He poked her in retaliation and while she was distracted, he stuck his finger in the meringue for a taste. 

“Niall!” She screeched, and he laughed, wiping some of the meringue onto her cheek. “You’re about to be banished from the kitchen.” 

He went for another swipe, and she waved the whisk at him, splattering him with meringue. He tried to duck out the way, and grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. 

“Niall Horan! Let me down!” 

“Not until you tell me you love me.” 

“You’re ruining my meringue!” 

“You’re ruining my heart.” 

She hit his shoulder, “I refuse to say it.” 

He lifted her up again and carried her to their couch, dumping her on it and staring down at her trying to look menacing. He just looked adorable. 

“Tell me you love me or I’ll tickle you until you pee yourself again.” 

“That was one time and you promised to never bring it up.” 

He went to tickle her, and she squealed and wiggled out of his way. “Fine! I love you, I love you, I love you!” 

When he pulled away with a smirk, she glared at him, “Happy?” 

“More than you know,” He said as he walked away. 

Niall parked the car and looked at the backseat, “You don’t think you went overboard with the pies?” 

“We’ve already spoken about this.” 

As she got out of the car, Nat pulled up beside them. “I have the deviled eggs and potato salad!” She called out as she closed her door, her hands already full of tupperware containers. 

“I don’t think you needed to bring anything, Nat. This woman here apparently thinks we’re feeding an army with pies.” 

Nat peered through the window and saw all the pies stacked in the backseat, “Nice. I’m guessing the standing mixer works well?” 

“Like a dream!” 

Niall snorted, “Kit, stop being horny about kitchen appliances and come help me with these.” 

Anna Katherine, after making a show of rolling her eyes to Nat, did as he asked. She stacked four pies up in his arms, and took the last one for herself. 

Niall raised an eyebrow, “Really?” 

She shrugged, “You seem to be handling the others just fine.” 

Together the three of them walked to Harry’s apartment, and Nat grabbed the key that he had hidden under a dead cactus to unlock the door. 

Anna Katherine watched curiously, “You’ve really been making yourself at home here, haven’t you?” 

“I’m going to be dropping these pies if we don’t get that door open.” 

Nat pushed the door open and when she saw Harry wearing an apron in the kitchen she said, “I still don’t understand why you’re the one hosting friendsgiving. You’re not even American.” 

Harry looked utterly ridiculous in the apron with his hands on his hips, “I can still love this country, you annoying twat.” 

“You can’t use my own insult against me.” 

“Twat is a British word, so if I can’t host friendsgiving, you can’t use it.” 

She looked between the two of them, “It’s the same bickering, but the underlying hate is missing. Look, Nat is even smiling. It’s so weird.” 

“Anna Katherine, come grab these pies or so help me…” 

“Oh, right.” She placed her one pie on the counter and then went to grab two more from Niall. “Sorry.” 

Harry’s eyes widened at all the pies, “Jesus, Kit.” 

Nat swatted his arm, “She has a standing mixer now. You should’ve seen this coming.” 

Harry looked over at Niall for answers, who just shrugged. “Don’t look at me, mate. It’s just as baffling to me as it is to you.” 

“Right, well let’s try to find room for all these pies then.” 

Harry had to rearrange his fall decorations, but eventually they had room for all of her pies. Once it was all settled and he checked the turkey that was in the oven, they all gathered in his living room. Nat was in one of his overstuffed chairs with a blanket, looking completely comfortable in Harry’s space. 

He went to sit beside her on the arm of the chair, and without looking up from her phone, shoved him off. 

“Fine, I’ll just sit on the floor then.” 

“Good.” 

“See if I ever buy you tacos again.” 

Anna Katherine, who was spread out on the couch with Niall, poked him with her foot. “This new friendship is still weird to me.” 

“Don’t say anything. We might jinx it.” 

Nat, who had been ignoring them, looked up, “Hey, Kit. What time should I get to your parent’s place tomorrow?” 

Harry looked up too, “Oh, yeah! My first Tran Family Thanksgiving!” 

Anna Katherine looked confused, “What? Who said you two were coming?” 

“Patricia!” Harry said like it was obvious, and maybe it was. “I think she still thinks I’m dating Alex, but I don’t know why she invited Nat.” 

“Because I’m a fucking delight.” 

Harry grimaced, “Sure, Nat.” 

“I can’t believe she invited the two of you and didn’t tell me.” 

“We’re getting there at nine, so anytime after that I’m sure will be fine.” Niall helpfully added. 

“Thank you,  _ Niall.”  _

Anna Katherine flipped them all off. 

Mack was the next to arrive with her famous creamed corn and more wine than was probably necessary. Liam and Louis arrived together with Liam’s homemade sourdough bread and Louis’ store bought ham and a large can of green beans. 

“We were supposed to bring homemade items, Lou.” Harry scolded when he saw what Louis had brought. 

“Unless the lot of you want to leave here with food poisoning, you will never ask me to cook ever again.” Which has been his response for the last four Friendsgivings. 

Once the turkey was ready, they all sat around Harry’s table which had an overflowing cornucopia. 

“You really went over the top this year, didn’t you, H?” Mack commented, giving the table’s center piece a cautious eye. 

“It’s our last year all together and my first year hosting. Of course I did!” 

Everyone looked around the table. Liam was the one to ask, “Wait, which one of us is leaving?” 

Louis, for possibly the first time in his entire life, looked sheepish. “I was going to tell you all after dinner, but Harry and his big mouth…” 

Niall looked ecstatic, “You took the job in Dublin?!” 

“Of course I did. Was there ever any doubt that I would get it?” 

“I think someone needs to knock your humility down a few pegs.” Liam snorted. 

Louis punched his arm, and Liam just smiled, “For real, congrats, Lou.” 

“Thanks, guys.” 

Harry clapped his hands, “Alright, this is a perfect segue for my favorite part of the holiday.” 

Everyone around the table groaned, “Not again, Harry!”

“We will now go around the table and say one thing we are all thankful for before we are allowed to eat.” 

Nat gave him a deadpan look, “I’m thankful for the day you finally stop talking.” 

Harry ignored her, “Louis, you can go first.” 

“I’m thankful that I can buy canned food so I don’t have to cook.” 

“Amen to that.” 

“Guys!” Harry looked genuinely upset, “I’m serious about this.” 

Mack gave him sympathy, “Fine, I’ll go. I’m thankful for my bartending job that allowed me to meet Kit and all of you.” 

“Aw,” Harry looked more than pleased. “We’re off to a wonderful start.” 

Louis rolled his eyes. “I guess I’m thankful that I got the job.” 

“And I’m thankful for Harry taking his hosting job so seriously,” Liam added.

“I recognize that this is you kissing ass, but I will accept it.” 

“Alright,” Louis looked at Niall and Kit, “What about the happy couple?” 

Niall was about to say his, but Kit beat him to it. “I’m just really thankful for Niall.” When she looked at him and he saw genuineness instead of her typical mocking, his stomach dropped. “I always thought that whoever would marry him would be lucky, I just never thought that it would be me.” 

Over the ridiculous cornucopia, Niall noticed Harry and Nat sharing a look, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. All his attention was on Kit. 

He was partially aware of the table verbally reacting as he leaned over to kiss her. He told himself it was for the act, but he knew he wouldn’t have been able to resist kissing her if he had tried. 

When she sighed and leaned into him, he once again thought that this woman was going to ruin him for anyone else. 

He pulled away, and he couldn’t look at her soft smile for any longer than he needed to. He turned his attention to Nat, who was going on about how she was thankful for her kids or some other aspect of her job, but his mind was elsewhere. 

Later that night after eating too much dressing and turkey and laughing so hard their stomachs ached, Anna Katherine and Niall found themselves on the couch watching  _ Married at First Sight  _ yet again. 

When Niall put his arm around her and pulled her close, Anna Katherine happily obliged and snuggled into his side. 

“Well, we did it.” He said after a moment. “One Thanksgiving dinner down, one to go.” 

She chuckled, “Maybe we’ll survive this after all.” 

“All while convincing people we’re a happily married in love couple who definitely did not get married just to get one of them a green card.” 

This time, she full out laughed. Once she calmed down, she tilted her head up to look at him, “You know, I meant what I said.” 

When he looked confused, she went on, “About what I was thankful for. All of it. I really meant it.” 

There was a brief moment when Anna Katherine could have sworn he thought about kissing her again, but instead he just said, “For once you weren’t mocking our marriage.” 

“Well,” She said, trying not to giggle, “It is very mockable.” 

He smiled and turned his attention back to the screen. 

She poked his side, “You never said what you were thankful for.” 

Niall cut his eyes at her, “I feel like you covered all our bases.” 

“Niall.” 

“Anna Katherine.” 

“Tell me.” When he still only looked at her, she smiled, “You’re thankful that your wife is drop dead gorgeous, right?” 

He laughed and ruffled her hair, “Yeah, something like that.” 

She gave him a look, and he sighed, “I’m thankful that you know me well enough and cared enough to get us the Fleetwood Mac tickets.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “Made my gift look like shit.” 

Anna Katherine pulled away and stared at him, “What?” 

“What, what?” 

“Your gift isn’t shit, Niall!” She took his hand in hers, “It means so much to me. You know how much our friends and memories mean to me. To know someone sees me like you do is both terrifying and something I never thought I’d want.” 

He pulled her against him, and when she leaned against him again, he kissed the top of her head. “Good to know all that late night and early morning work paid off.” 

Anna Katherine hid her smile against his sweater. She was happy and more content than she could ever remember being. She didn’t want to be anywhere else except here, next to Niall and watching the most ridiculous of Netflix shows. 

“I cannot believe there are three pies leftover.” Anna Katherine grumbled. 

“This is what happens when you make five pies for a dinner of seven people.” 

She shoved a pie at his chest, “Shut up and take these pies.” 

“Why am I carrying all three of them? What are you carrying?” 

“I’ve been carrying this entire relationship on my shoulders. It’s time you put in some effort.” 

“Oh,” Niall scoffed. “Is that how you see it?” 

She nodded, already headed up the driveway and towards her childhood home, “Yep.” 

He shook his head, but followed behind her like the doting husband he needed to be. 

Patricia was already at the door ready to take their coats when they got to the front porch. “Oh my goodness, look at the two of you matching!”

Niall and Anna Katherine looked at each other, not realizing they were matching until that moment. “Oh, yeah. Oops.” 

“This is not an ‘oops.’ This is adorable,” Patricia waved them in. “Timothy! Get the camera. We need to document their first Thanksgiving as a married couple.” 

“We’ve had plenty of Thanksgivings together, Mom. Did you forget that he’s been coming to these things for the last four years?” 

“As a married couple, I said.” 

“Whatever.” She shrugged out of her coat, and took the pies from Niall so he could do the same. 

Patricia eyed the pies, “I didn’t know you were contributing this year, dear.” 

Niall laughed, “She didn’t mean to. She just went overboard with the pies for our friendsgiving.” 

“Ah,” Patricia nodded. “I take it you’re enjoying the standing mixer, Anna Katherine?” 

“Of course I am. I don’t know why people find this surprising. I’ve been talking about it before we even got it.” 

She ignored Niall rolling his eyes. 

“Right. Just don’t forget to send out thank you cards in a timely manner.” 

She sighed, “Yes, Mother.” 

They walked through the foyer, and when Anna Katherine spotted her brother in the kitchen, she looked at her phone for the time. “Are we late?” 

“Ha. Ha.” Alex stuck his tongue out at her, “Since I was so rudely called out at family dinner, I got here a half hour early.” 

“Ignore your brother,” Patricia sighed. “He’s in one of his moods.” 

Anna Katherine laughed, enjoying when she wasn’t the one under her mom’s scrutiny.

Her dad snuck up behind them, “I heard a camera was needed?” 

Her and Niall spun around, and without being asked, Niall took the pies back from her so she could hug her dad. 

While she hugged her dad, she heard her mom say, “Oh, dear. Let me take those from you. You must be so tired from holding them.” 

Anna Katherine just sighed. “I’m going to need another cup of coffee.” 

Once again, without being asked, Niall appeared with a steaming fresh mug of coffee. She smiled at him in thanks, and then they were kicked out of the kitchen by Patricia and told to watch the Macy’s Day Parade. 

As the morning went on, aunts and uncles and cousins slowly started to trickle in. Eventually Niall and her were pulled away from each other to be bombarded with questions of their wedding and honeymoon by over-nosey aunts and uncles. 

Aunt Jeannie was sipping on a glass of wine despite it being only ten in the morning. “Kitty, I have been so worried that you would never find a husband.” 

Anna Katherine watched her Aunt Jeannie with careful eyes, “I am only twenty-five, Aunt Jeannie. Even if I wasn’t married to Niall, I would still have plenty of time.”

“Yes, but your eggs!” 

Anna Katherine choked on her coffee. She saw Niall turn to look at her from where he was sitting with the other men. “Uh, what about them?” 

“If you don’t start having children soon, they’ll shrivel up and die.” 

“I don’t think that’s scientific.” She purposefully put her back to Niall so she couldn’t see him laughing at her. 

“Maybe not, but the point still holds.” 

“And what’s that point?” Patricia appeared out of nowhere. 

“Aunt Jeannie,” Anna Katherine started, “Is telling me the worries of my eggs shriveling up and dying.” 

Patricia’s sister turned to look at her, “Aren’t you ready for grandchildren from these two, Pat?” 

“Of course I am, especially since Alex doesn't seem concerned with providing me with the ultimate joy of life.” 

Anna Katherine gave her mom a pointed look. 

“But, as much as I would love to see little Niall and Anna Katherines running around – hopefully they’ll take after their father more than their mother – we need to let them get to that on their own time.” 

“Geeze, thanks, Mom.” 

Patricia patted her shoulder, “No need for a thanks, sweetie.” 

Before Anna Katherine could get another snippy comment in, Harry and Nat come waltzing through the door. She stared at them for a moment, taking in Harry’s attire: an obnoxiously orange sweater with a giant turkey on the front with the tightest black jeans she’s ever seen. 

“Harry, what the hell are you wearing?” 

He looked down at his clothes, “Nat got it for me! Isn’t it great?” 

Nat looked like she could kill him, “As a joke. I didn’t think he would actually wear it.” 

“Once again, this is a weird friendship.” 

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ Are your eggs in danger of shriveling?  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Fuck off niall.  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ Is part two of this charade providing you with a child?  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Pls see previous text  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ The Horan Supreme is still up for grabs.  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Alright meet me in the upstairs bathroom in ten.  _

“Why are you smiling like that, Anna Katherine?” 

She quickly turned her screen off so her mom wouldn’t be able to see her texts with Niall, “Oh, nothing. Just, uh, Mack catching me up on family drama.” 

Patricia didn’t look convinced, “Hm, okay.” 

Anna Katherine retreated to the kitchen where Harry and Nat were to see what was in the crockpot they carried in. 

“You have to try my apple cider!” Harry immediately forced her to take a cup. 

Nat laughed, “He even brought his own cinnamon sticks.” 

“Of course he did,” Anna Katherine laughed and took a sip. “Surprisingly good, H.” 

He preened, “Thank you. Couldn’t come empty handed to my first Tran Family Thanksgiving.” 

“I came empty handed, but that was because my hands were too full making sure you behaved yourself.” 

“Yes, but Nat, this isn’t your first Tran Family Thanksgiving.” 

“Actually, it is.” 

“What? How?” 

“Patricia and this so-called friend of ours never invited me. Plus, I usually have my own family dinner to go to, but this year my parents abandoned me to go on a cruise.” 

“But Niall is invited every year.” 

“I know, and you have no idea how much that irks me, Harry.” 

Anna Katherine jumped when someone came up behind her and placed their hand on her hip. “I thought we were supposed to be meeting in the bathroom?” 

“Shut up before my mom hears you!” She spun around to glare at him and whispered, “Or our friends. They’d be even more impossible than normal.” 

He shrugged, not at all sorry. “Just trying to give the people what they want,  _ Kitty _ .” 

She groaned, “I don’t want that. No one wants that.” 

He smirked, “Aunt Jeannie wants it.” 

“Aunt Jeannie is a drunk. We don’t pay attention to anything she says.” 

Harry poked his head between them, “Who is a drunk? What do we want?” 

“Kit wants children.” Niall and that damn smirk. 

“Shut up, Niall! I do not!” 

“It’s okay, Kit.” Nat came and put a hand on her shoulder. “Wanting to create a beautiful life with your husband is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s the obvious next step.” 

Kit felt the heat radiating off her cheeks, “I hate all three of you. I never want to see any of you ever again.” 

Before she could walk away, Niall grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Her eyes went wide when he put a loud, wet kiss on her cheek. “We all know you’ll want to see me tonight for a good cuddle.”

Harry and Nat looked ecstatic, “I’m sorry, has there been nightly cuddling that we weren’t made aware of?” 

“Why on earth would we tell you guys if there were?”

“Because,” Harry said, taking a sip of his apple cider, “We’re the managers of this relationship.” 

Anna Katherine yanked her arm out of Niall’s hand with a loud groan and stormed out of the kitchen. 

After wandering around the house for a moment, she finally found refuge outside with a few of her cousins. She stayed out there enjoying the fresh air and quiet away from her friends for as long as everyone allowed her. When a younger cousin climbed into her lap, Anna Katherine cuddled her close. 

“Kitty?” 

“Hm?” 

“What is it like being married to Niall?” 

Anna Katherine chuckled, “Well, he gives me cuddles whenever I want them, and he takes the trash out without being asked. And, the best part is, whenever he knows I feel down, he buys me mint chocolate chip ice cream.” 

Olivia sighed, “That sounds amazing. Are you ever going to divorce him?” 

Anna Katherine choked on nothing. “What? Why would you ask that?” 

“I think I’m in love with him.” 

Her eyes went wide, and then she let out a loud laugh, “Well, if I ever get tired of him, I’ll send him your way. Deal?” 

Olivia beamed, “Deal!” 

After Olivia slid off her lap and more aunts and uncles came out invading her peace, Anna Katherine went back inside. It didn’t take her long to spot Niall on the couch watching the parade with another little cousin sound asleep against him and another sitting in his lap talking about the balloons appearing on the screen. 

She leaned against the wall and watched as Niall nodded and gave her cousins his undivided attention. Eventually he noticed her watching and gave her a soft smile and wave. He lifted little Malachi off of his lap, and stood up, careful not to wake Lilly who was still sound asleep. He leaned against the wall facing her, “Missed me?” 

She shrugged, “Your company is better than anyone else’s here.” 

He smirked, but they were interrupted by Harry running and sliding to a stop beside them. “I think Patricia is drunk.” 

Kit stood in the middle of the kitchen watching her mom spoon another cup of Harry’s  _ spiked  _ apple cider into her mug. “Harry, what have you done to my mother?” 

“I thought everyone knew it was spiked!” 

Niall placed his hand on her arm, sensing she was about to go off on their friend. He did his best so that he sounded more concerned than annoyed, “How were we supposed to know if you didn’t tell us, H?” 

Nat, who was sitting on the counter top, said, “In his defense, he didn’t know it usually isn't.” 

“We make it all the time back home! And it’s spiked!” 

Patricia came over to their small huddle, “Kit, I don’t know why you’re so stressed. Maybe you should have some more of Harry’s apple cider. It’s to die for!” 

Kit tried to take the mug away from her, “I think you’ve had enough, Mom.” 

Patricia slapped her hand away. “I’m a grown ass adult. I know full well when I had enough, and I have certainly not reached that point yet.” 

Niall choked down a laugh. 

Finally all the food was ready and everyone was sitting at the table. Even with the younger cousins sitting at the kid’s table, the dining room table was as full as Anna Katherine had ever seen it. Timothy led them in a prayer, and then they were all digging in. 

Uncle Sherman looked over at her and Niall, “I’m devastated you all wanted a small wedding, and we couldn’t attend, Kit. Totally understandable, but you are my oldest and first niece. I was so looking forward to it. How was it?” 

Anna Katherine opened her mouth to respond, but Patricia beat her to it. “Oh, Sherman. It was  _ wonderful.  _ I have been waiting for this day ever since I saw that picture of the two of them at the football game all those years ago. I tried to convince Kitty to break up with Jonah then and there.” She leaned across the table as if to tell a secret, “We all knew he was bad news.” 

Niall eyed Anna Katherine, “Did she really?” 

She nodded, too shocked to say anything else. 

When Aunt Jeannie went to speak, Anna Katherine knew none of this would end well for her. “How long have they been dating?” 

“Oh, just a few months according to them. But if you ask me, which you did, I’d say they’ve been dating for years. They just didn’t know it.” 

“Mom!” 

Patricia ignored her. “Kitty has been in love with this boy for so long. I was getting tired of waiting for either of them to make a move. I was about ready to do something about it myself.” 

Anna Katherine looked on in horror, but she couldn’t help but ask, “What could you have possibly done?” 

Her mom leaned back in her chair and shrugged, taking another sip of Harry’s life ruining apple cider, “I had a few plans up my sleeve. I just love looking at the pictures from your wedding. You looked so in love. It truly makes your mother’s heart soar.” 

“Mom!” 

“What? I know you don’t like people knowing you, but there’s nothing wrong with being in love with your husband.” 

Niall squeezed her thigh, “Yeah, I’m your husband. You’re supposed to be in love with me.” 

Anna Katherine glared at him, and then stuffed a bite of turkey in her mouth. She did her best to ignore Patricia narrating her apparent love for Niall, but it was more difficult than she’d liked. 

Once they all had more than their fill of food, Anna Katherine stormed over to Harry. “This is all your fault!” 

“Kit, I–” 

Nat walked over to join them, “Aw, c’mon, Kit. Get off his back. It was an innocent mistake, and we all know Patricia would’ve made some kind of ridiculous comment with or without the help of liquor.” 

Anna Katherine was so surprised by her best friend defending Harry, she forgot her anger. She blinked, and when Harry winked at Nat, she was truly caught off guard. 

“I…” She looked between the two of them. “You know what? I’m done with both of you. Where’s my husband?” She stormed off without another word. 

On the night of Black Friday, Nat once again found herself on Harry’s couch. When he handed her a plate of leftover turkey and dressing he asked, “Did we realize that when our best friends committed their whole lives together that we were also committing ourselves to this friendship?”

“Definitely not,” Nat stabbed the turkey with her plastic fork. “And I’m only here because you invited me.” 

“And I only invited you because you called to ask what I was doing tonight.” 

“And I only called because I am panicked over Nit!”

“Nit?” 

“Yes, their ship name. Keep up.” 

“Before things get out of hand, can I just say that I don’t believe you, and I think you came over here because you actually enjoy my company?” 

“No.” 

“Hm. Okay.” He slowly chewed his food before pointing his fork at Nat, “Patricia.” 

“What about her?” 

“Was she spitting out some truth or was that the cider talking? Is Kit really in love with Niall?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t think Kit even knows.” Nat pulled her legs up to her chest, “There’s a lot Kit isn’t even admitting to herself right now.” 

“Like?” 

“Like being attracted to Niall. She didn’t even tell me she made out with him! Proof number one she is hiding something.” 

“What is proof number two?” 

Nat shrugged, “Dunno, but I’m sure it exists. Now, tell me about Niall and how he’s in love with my best friend.” 

“I refuse to gossip about him.” 

“This isn’t a gossip sesh. This is two friends being concerned about their other friends.” 

“Ha! You just said we were friends” 

Nat rolled her eyes, “Fine, we’re friends. Now was Niall being serious?” 

“I’ve never seen him more gone over a girl before.” 

“Well, shit.” 

“You can say that again.” 

“Well, shit.” 


	6. Sixth Commandment

**The Sixth Commandment: Thou (Kit this time – Ha.) Shalt Accompany Niall To All Work Events.**

_“Your work events are so dry and boring. I don’t want to.”_

_Niall nibbled on the end of the pen. After a moment he said, “You could always come join me for lunch once a week at the office.”_

_“Ew. No. Gross. I’ll go to the dumb events.”_

_He smirked, “That’s what I thought.”_

* * *

Niall rarely received calls at work. Mostly because all of his friends had the typical 9-5 job as well, and if Kit ever needed anything, she texted him. So when she did call him, his heart rate almost always skyrocketed as his mind raced with possible scenarios, each one more horrible than the last. 

He answered it on the second ring, “Kit? You okay?”

“No, I’m not okay!”

“What’s wrong?” 

“I have the meeting with Jonah today. It’s going to be so awkward. I mean, these meetings always are, but this time I’m meeting with my _ex,_ Niall!” 

As dramatic as she was being, Niall was just glad it wasn’t anything more serious. “See, I knew I needed to be worried.” 

“Niall!” She whined, “Help me!” 

“And what do you want me to do?”  
“You could always just kill me. That would be better than this.” 

“Kit.” 

“Fine. I don’t know. I’m stressed.” 

“Just take some deep breaths, take Fox for a walk, and don’t overthink this.” 

“I already am overthinking this.” 

“You’re ridiculous, and I need to get back to work.” 

“But I’m–” 

“Nope. Bye, Kit. I love you.” 

“Love you too, you wanker.” She mumbled right before he ended the call. 

A coworker looked on in sympathy, “The wife being difficult today?” 

Niall laughed, “When is she not?” 

The cafe Jonah told her to meet him at was completely decked out for Christmas. At her work, they had a miniature tree sitting in the corner of the bartop, and Niall and her put up the tree last night. Still, somehow Christmas felt so far off despite it being just over a week away. She thought it probably had a lot to do with how it had been still in the high sixties until this morning. Now the wind had a bite to it, her nose felt raw, and that combined with the decorations of the restaurant made it feel a little bit more like the Christmas season.

She was about to go into the cute restaurant when her phone vibrated in her pocket. 

_Niall:_ _  
_ _You’re one of the best photographers I know_ _  
_ _You’re damn good at what you do_ _  
_ _Dont be worried about anyone not liking your work_ _  
_ _Bc theyd be insane not to_ _  
_ _I believe in you and you’ve got this._ _  
_ _Also, dont forget to breathe_

She smiled as she sent him back a heart emoji. With a deep breath, she pocketed her phone and walked toward the one man who ever broke her heart, feeling much more at ease than she did before Niall’s text. 

As she sat across Jonah, it felt like she was thrown back in time before she was married to Niall, before Jonah broke her, and before being thrust out into adulthood with nothing more than a flimsy sheet of paper telling her a lie that she was ready. 

“So,” Jonah started. “How have you been?” 

There was a paper snowflake dangling above Jonah’s head. She was staring at it, but when Jonah asked that question, she lazily flicked her eyes to him. “We’re not doing the small talk, Jonah.” 

“Alright. You’re in one of your moods then.” 

“I’m not in a mood, but if I was, it would be because I have to be here sitting across from you.” 

“So much hostility towards the person who is offering you a job.” 

“I mean,” She went to grab her things. “I could just leave.” 

He reached out to grab her hand, “No. I’m sorry. We’ll keep this professional.” 

She sat back down, “Good.” She reached for her bag, “I brought my portfolio like you asked.” 

“Perfect,” He smiled, and Kit wasn’t phased by it like she once was. “I’ll be sure to bring this to the next meeting we have with the client.” 

“Who is?” 

“The city.” 

For a moment – a brief moment – Kit was speechless, “And you didn’t think I should’ve known that from the beginning?” 

“I might’ve forgotten to mention it.” 

“ _Might’ve_ , he says.” 

“I thought you’d love this opportunity.” 

“Obviously I do, but I just don’t like being surprised.” Kit bit back, “Which, with our history, you should’ve known that about me.” 

“Sorry?” 

Kit rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone. 

_Kit:_ _  
_ _I’m coming to the office for lunch_ _  
_ _That is if i am not arrested for manslaughter_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _1\. I thought coming to the office was gross_ _  
_ _2\. I see that its going well_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _I. HATE. HIM._ _  
_ _He’s an ass. How did i ever date him._

_Niall:_ _  
_ _I can have a list of all the reasons_ _  
_ _Along with a reasons why you never should have in the first place_ _  
_ _It’ll be ready for you by the time you get here for lunch._

_Kit:_ _  
_ _Idk if i want to thank you or not_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Definitely thank me_ _  
_ _Also pick us up some sushi._ _  
_ _Im no longer in the mood for this sandwich you made me_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _I make damn good sandwiches_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Never said otherwise, kit-kat_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _Crawfish roll?_

_Niall:  
_ _Two please :)_

Anna Katherine waved at Mike, the security guard for Niall’s building, on her way to his office. When Mike saw her, he smiled and waved. “Good afternoon, Miss Anna. I haven’t seen you in a while.” 

She dug around in her purse to find the container of mints she always brought him. “Been busy with the wedding and the holidays, you know. And, as always, here you go.” 

“Such an angel. I suppose it’s Mrs. Anna now. Niall is one lucky fella.” 

She smiled again and stepped towards the elevator, “Thank you, Mike. I’ll be sure to stop by on my way out to say bye.” 

“You better!” 

Niall surprised her when he was waiting for her when the elevator doors opened. She eyed him up and down, appreciating how the cardigan he was wearing hugged his shoulders. “How did you know?” 

“Mike gave me a ring. I’ve never seen that man care about someone as much as he does you.” 

“I buy his love with the good mints.” 

“Ah. The secret finally comes out.” 

When he stepped beside her on the elevator, she gave him a questioning glance. 

“Thought you wouldn’t want my nosey co-workers hearing all about your messy ex.” 

“Ah, always the perfect husband.” 

He laughed, “I try.” 

Niall led them back to the first floor and out the back of the building where she was surprised to find tables with chairs and umbrellas and even a grassy area. 

“Why have we never eaten out here before?” She picked a random table and put their food and drinks down. 

Niall shrugged, “It’s not like you come here that much.” 

“I come here enough for Mike to love me.” 

“Okay, fine. It’s not like you stay long enough for me to show you anything.” 

“Yeah, that’s fair.” 

Anna Katherine began to unpack their food, handing Niall his rolls and extra spicy mayo. “I don’t know how you can eat that stuff. It gives me heartburn.” She frowned at his smirk, “Yes, I recognize how old that makes me sound. Let’s not dwell on it.” 

“Whatever you say, dear.” He popped a bite in his mouth, “Alright, so tell me about Jonah.” 

She immediately launched into the story of her meeting with her ex. She got so into it that she nearly forgot to eat until Niall motioned for her to take a bite before continuing. She was at the part where she threatened to leave the cafe, when Niall stood up, shrugged out of the grey cardigan he was wearing, and placed it on her shoulders. 

She stopped mid-sentence, and he shrugged, “You were shivering.” 

“I was not.” 

“You were. Now keep going. I don’t have much longer on my break.” 

“But now you’re going to get cold.” 

“I’m fine, Kit.” 

She gave him a wary glance, but pulled his soft cardigan closer around her before going to continue her story. 

“Jonah really is a dick.” 

She nodded once and took the time to chew her food before responding, “He really is. I have no idea what I ever saw in him.” 

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re over him and he’s in your past.” 

“Mostly.” She said, and then added, “He’s mostly in my past. I do have to work with him for the next few weeks.” 

He stayed quiet, but Anna Katherine could tell he was thinking about something, “What is it?” 

He looked up at her, and a slow smile crept across his face, “So, there’s this thing…” 

“No,” She shook her head, already knowing where he was going with this. “I will not.” 

“It’s not like the typical quarterly get together. It’ll be for the holidays and New Years, too.” 

She tried whining, “I don’t want to, Niall.” 

It didn’t seem to work on him this time, “It’s in our marriage contract, and I need you to make me look good.” 

“Niall…” 

“C’mon, please. You always look so beautiful when you come with me to these things, and my boss’ wife adores you.” He reached across the table and took her hand in both of his, “Come on. Come with me. You always say you make it worse in your head than it actually is.” 

“They’re just always so dry and boring.” 

“There’s going to be music and food and awards given out this time. Plus, Liam will be there.” 

“Free food?” 

He nodded, “And alcohol.” 

She tried one more time, “But you said the alternative to coming to your work events was coming to lunch with you at the office. And look,” She motioned to herself, “Here I am!” 

“First, this is the first time you’ve been here in the month we’ve been married, and the alternative was coming weekly. Second, if I recall correctly, you declined that option because you thought coming here was gross.” He squeezed her hand, “You here now is just an extra topping for me.” 

Anna Katherine let out a sigh in defeat, “Fine. When is it?” 

“The 24th.” 

“That’s Christmas Eve and the night before we leave for Ireland.” 

“Yeah, so?” 

“You don’t think we’ll be busy packing?” 

“You know good and well I’ll be already packed.” 

“Fine, I will be panic packing.” 

“I’ll help you.” Another hand squeeze, “Promise.” 

“Yeah, whatever.” She pulled her hand away from him, “Just know I’m not happy about this.” 

“Oh,” Niall said with a chuckle, “I am quite aware.” 

Niall was sitting on the couch, dressed and ready to go, and waiting for Kit to finish getting ready. He would never be able to understand what took her so long. She had taken forever for as long as he had known her. Even if they were simply going to the movies or the grocery store, Niall was always waiting for her to finish up. 

He checked his watch for the third time, and when he saw how close they were to being late, he heaved himself off the couch and marched to Kit’s door. He was about to knock, when it swung open. 

“Oh. Hi. I’m ready.” 

Niall looked her over. He told himself he wasn’t paying attention to how the dress hugged her body or how the green complimented her eyes or how he wanted to take her into his arms and never leave the apartment. And he was very obviously lying to himself. He let out a long breath and once he saw that she was in fact completely ready, he nodded. “It’s about damn time.” He found himself giving her another once over, and tried not to react when Kit smirked at him. 

“Perfection takes time, Mr. Horan.” 

Niall couldn’t argue with that. The dress she had bought earlier that week was conservative enough that even Patricia would love it, but somehow Kit still managed to put him on edge with how stunning she looked. He was amazed he could speak. 

He thought about snarking back, but instead he found himself saying, “You look beautiful, Mrs. Horan. It was well worth the wait.” 

She looked pleased, but as she stepped passed him and walked down the hall, she glanced over her shoulder to say, “Thank you, but I never officially changed my name.” 

Niall balked and hurried after her, “Wait, what?” 

“Well, first off, if you think I was going to change my name just because you procrastinated your visa, you’re more of an idiot than I thought. Second off, even if I did want to change my name – which I don’t – I haven’t had time or energy or the motivation to go to the courthouse.” 

Niall caught up with her at the door, and watched as she slipped into her coat. “Courthouse?” 

She hesitated before pulling her coat the rest of the way on, “Oh, Niall. Don’t tell me you didn’t know we had to go to the courthouse to legally and officially change my last name.” 

“You sound like Patricia.” 

She gasped, “Take that back!” 

When she went to swat him with her clutch, Niall tried to move out of the way but was too slow, “Ow!” 

“Take that back or I’ll hit you again.” 

“Fine! You didn’t sound like your condescending mother!” 

She shot him a glare, “I have half a mind to go back to my room and leave you without a date to your work party.” 

“You have to come. You’re my wife!” 

She ignored his protesting and smoothed out her dress, “But I look too good to hide from the world.” 

As she opened the door and started down the hall to the elevator, Niall mumbled to himself, “The world isn’t ready for you in that dress.” 

“What was that?”  
“Nothing, love.” 

Anna Katherine never enjoyed attending Niall’s work gatherings, and she doubted she ever would. The only plus side that ever came with being dragged to these things by Niall was seeing him in a suit. They might just be best friends, but she wasn’t above admitting that Niall looked damn good in a suit. Tonight was no different with him in his charcoal grid pattern suit and his damn glasses. 

She was still struggling with the entire “being physically attracted to your best friend after five years of nothing” thing, and tonight wasn’t helping, but that didn’t stop her from appreciating him as he walked a few steps ahead of her. 

She watched as his friends and coworkers came up to greet him. He addressed them all by name and always made sure to ask about a family member or some other personal aspect of their lives. She was perfectly content standing at his side with her arm hooked in his, smiling and only saying a brief hello here or there while he caught up with the people around him. That is until someone all but pulled him out of her grasp. 

“Niall!” The woman was all but drooling over him. “I thought you weren’t coming.” 

On his behalf, Niall looked just as surprised as Anna Katherine felt. “Oh. Hey, Kelly.” 

When Anna Katherine saw the woman – Kelly – place her hand on Niall’s upper arm, she found herself stepping back into Niall’s side and asking, “Who’s this, honey?” 

She didn’t give the curious glance he gave her any mind. 

“Uh,” He startled when she wrapped her arm around his waist. “This is Kelly. We were in the same pod for a few months, but when we both got promoted she was moved.”

Anna Katherine gave her a saccharine smile, “It’s so nice to meet you, Kelly. I’m Anna Katherine. Niall’s wife.” 

Kelly gave her a once over, “Oh. I remember Niall talking about you. Weren’t you two just roommates?” 

Niall went to respond, but she pinched his side to stop him. Thankfully, he did a good job of hiding his yelp. “Well, I wouldn’t say we were ever _just_ roommates.” 

This time he spoke up before she could stop him, “Oh? Is that so, Kit?”

She shot him a quick glare hoping Kelly didn’t see, “Yes. We’ve always teetered on the edge of, well, something _more_.” The look Niall gave her – baffled and a little in awe of her – made her want to take it all back. Instead she added, “At least, that’s what our mothers say, isn’t it?” 

Kelly looks between the two of them, “I see.” 

Niall looked away from Anna Katherine to give Kelly a friendly smile and to answer her previous question, “I convinced Kit here to come with me, so I decided to come after all. How are those nephews of yours?” 

Anna Katherine leaned into him again while listening to their conversation pitter off and watched as Kelly finally walked away. 

She made every effort not to look at Niall despite feeling him stare at her. 

“Kit.” 

“Nope.” 

“You were jealous.” She could hear the smile in his voice, and she hated it. 

“I was not. I just didn’t like her.” 

“And why didn’t you like her?” 

She shrugged and finally looked up at him, “She was being very touchy for someone who could very clearly see you are a married man. I mean your wedding ring is right there!” 

“Is this the moment that I point out the circumstances of our marriage?” 

“No, because it’s the moral of the thing, Niall.” 

“Ah.” He smirked, clearly pleased with whatever just happened, “Whatever you say, Kit-Kat.” 

After a few more moments of catching up with his coworkers, they found their way to one of the tables. It didn’t take long for Niall to spot Liam and weave them through the chairs and people to grab the two chairs next to him. 

When Liam spotted them, he stood up to hug Anna Katherine. “You look beautiful, Kit.” 

“Thanks, Liam. You clean up pretty well, too.” She pulled out of the hug and took the seat where she would be sitting between Liam and Niall. After finishing up whatever conversation they were having, Niall came to sit next to her, resting his palm on her thigh. She worked very hard on telling her body not to react. 

They were all still sitting at the tables and sipping their wine when someone who she assumed was the head of the company walked to the center of the makeshift stage positioned in the front of the room. Anna Katherine tuned him out while he went on about something or another regarding the company and his employees. She was daydreaming about finally getting home and taking her shoes and bra off when she heard, “And this year’s Thought Leader of the Year Award goes to one of our beloved analysts, Niall Horan!”

She straightened up when she heard his name and spun around to look at him with wide eyes, “That’s you!” 

He chuckled, “I’m aware, love.” 

Anna Katherine was pretty sure everyone in the building could feel her amazement as she watched Niall walk up to accept the award. He took the plaque and shook the man’s hand, and when everyone in the room cheered for him, he gave a little wave. 

Her chest felt like it could burst with pride, and as he walked back over to his seat next to her, she couldn’t help but beam up at him. “Let me see, let me see!” 

He laughed as he handed it over to her, “I think you’re more excited about this than I am.” 

“This is amazing!” She read the plaque, “Wait, what is this for?” 

“It’s just a leadership award.” He shrugged, “I guess I impressed the CEO.” 

“You obviously impressed someone!” She handed the plaque back to him, and as they got settled to listen to more awards be given out, Niall squeezed her hand. 

She looked over at him and smiled when she saw him watching her. 

After the awards were handed out and the CEO finished his speech, Niall took Kit to find the food. As they made their way through the throngs of people, he kept his hand on the small of her back. When people stopped to congratulate him on his Thought Leader of the Year award, he’d wrap his arm around her while he thanked them and introduced her as his wife. 

It was still weird for him at times to call Kit his wife, but in moments like these with her at his side, a proud smile on her lips, and eyes beaming, it all felt as natural as breathing. They were once again on their way to the buffet when he interlaced their hands. 

“You’re definitely helping me get my touch quota in for the day.” 

He gave her a puzzled look, “I haven’t touched you that much.” 

She laughed, “You haven’t stopped since we parked the car, Niall.” 

“What?” 

“I wish I was exaggerating,” She paused. “Actually, I don’t. I love this.” 

“I didn’t realize I was doing it so often.” 

“Don’t overthink it.” She patted his arm. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. I’m living for all this physical contact.” 

He gave her a smile, “Your wish is my command.” 

“Wait.” She stopped walking so suddenly, he tripped. “What’s _your_ love language?” 

He blinked down at her, “What?” 

“Your love language. We both know mine, but I’ve never thought to ask yours!” 

He shrugged, “Dunno.” 

She stared at him, “You don’t know?” 

“Why should I know?” 

“It helps you understand yourself better!” She hit his arm, “And it helps others love you better!” 

“I think people are loving me just fine on their own.” He went to start walking again, but she pulled him back.

“Niall!” 

“Kit!” Niall screeched, mocking her. 

“You’re taking the test.” 

“Not tonight I’m not.” 

“I will win. Just wait. Maybe not tonight. But soon.” She strutted away towards the buffet with a huff.

He scratched his head while he watched her walk away, “Wasn’t aware this was a competition.” 

Somehow between reveling in all of Niall’s touches and just wanting to go get another glass of wine, Niall convinced Anna Katherine to dance. 

She was still complaining as he led her out to the dance floor, “I don’t like to dance, Niall.” 

“We’ve danced plenty of times together.” He pulled her to him so they could begin to sway to the music. 

“We have danced exactly once and that was because Patricia would have killed me if I had refused to dance with you at our own wedding.” 

Niall tutted, “I think you forget about the night you were wine drunk crying over John Mayer and his broken heart.” 

She snapped her head up to look at him, “You remember that?” 

“Of course I do. I wasn’t the one who was wine drunk.” 

She wasn’t sure if what they were doing constituted as dancing since they were simply swaying side to side, but she felt herself begin to relax into it. “You just haven’t brought it up since it happened.” 

Anna Katherine leaned into him, reveling in the firmness of his chest and the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. She found herself amazed at how Niall could make something she despised so much even the slightest bit more comfortable for her. It wasn’t the first time it happened. It happened all the time. He calmed her down and helped her feel comfortable at their wedding, when she got too far in her head and couldn’t get out. He even helped her feel comfortable and confident as she walked into her meeting with Jonah.

“Neither have you,” He pointed out. 

She tilted her head back to look at him, and he was already watching her. She took a moment to take him in. The way his lips turned slightly upwards. The day old scruff since he hadn’t shaved recently. The way his eyes stayed on her, watching her, taking her in. The pressure of his hand on her hip was driving her crazy. She moved her hand to the back of his neck and tried to focus on how soft his hair was there as she ran her fingers through it in an effort to escape the rush that seemed to happen wherever he touched her. She wondered if he could feel her heart race against her chest as well as she could.

She wanted to kiss him, but she pushed that urge deep down. She knew it wasn’t because they needed to convince the people around them that they were in love, but because he was Niall and she was Kit and they simply fit. Her mind wandered to their time in New Orleans and how he had kissed her. How _she_ had kissed _him_. The way he felt against her. How he let her be in control. How even though she had probably been confusing the hell out of him, because she had certainly been confusing the hell out of herself, he let her. And she had felt how badly he wanted it just as much as she had, and how he had been holding himself back. How she had to calm herself down when she went to hide in the bathroom. 

Her skin felt hot when she said, “There’s a lot of things we don’t bring up after they happen.” 

Niall hummed, “Communication has never been one of our strong points.” 

“Why do you think that is?” 

She watched as he thought it over, “I think maybe it’s because we’re both cowards.” 

Anna Katherine couldn’t find the words to argue. 

“You have to call me as soon as you land.” 

Patricia had called them a total of five times since she had woken up, which was thirty minutes before Anna Katherine had told her they were leaving the house to get to the airport. Which was much too early for a conversation between Anna Katherine and her mom. Thankfully Niall was the one who answered the first and the second and even the third time she called. From what she could gather, Patricia didn’t even seem to mind that her daughter was avoiding her calls, but now while they waited to board their second and last flight of the day, the phone sat on Anna Katherine’s knee while on speaker.

It was the first time Anna Katherine wasn’t waking up in her childhood bedroom and joining her chaotic family for another whirlwind of a Christmas, packing up all in one car for the Christmas service at the church, coming home to stockings stuffed full of logical presents, eating a Christmas lunch cooked by her dad, and going over to her grandparent’s house for the big family dinner and presents. She was missing it, sure, but she wasn’t heartbroken over it, either. This year, her Christmas began in the airport with her best friend, and her overbearing mother calling them repeatedly. It wasn’t exactly putting her in the Christmas spirit. 

“We won’t have service right away, Patty. But as soon as we get WiFi, I’ll remind Kit to call you.” 

She rolled her eyes at Niall, “We’re about to board, Mom.” 

“I just can’t believe I won’t see you this Christmas!” 

Anna Katherine really wasn’t missing her mom at all right now, “You saw me two days ago.” 

“But it’s Christmas! We’re about to leave for the service, and it just doesn’t feel right with just Alexander. Your father and I are missing the two of you.” 

Niall took the phone that was resting in her palm and took it off of speaker when he brought it up to his ear, “We miss you all, too. Remember that I promised you we’d make it up to you, Patty.”

She couldn’t understand what her mother said, but she could hear her long winded response. 

“I know, Patty. I’ll take good care of our girl. You don’t worry about a thing. We’ll be back with presents for all. You just take care of your grand-dog. And don’t let Harry come steal her.” 

Another pause and then, “Yes, I know you love Harry. We all love Harry, but you know Kit banned him from watching over Fox.”

She was dying to know what was said to make Niall’s eyes light up the way they did, “She does have a tendency to be overbearing. I haven’t the slightest idea where she gets that from. Right. We’ll talk soon. Happy Christmas!” 

As soon as the call ended, Anna Katherine snatched her phone up, “What did she say? I’m not overbearing!” 

“Of course you aren’t. She was just saying she thought you had too high of expectations for your friends and you should just let your dog be a dog.” 

“I hate her.” 

“You do not.” 

She slouched in the airport chair and crossed her arms over her chest, “Even when I’m about to be an ocean away, she’s still finding ways to be unbearable.” 

“Quite unlike you when you Skyped me the first time I flew home after moving in with you and woke me up at three in the morning just because the smoke alarm wouldn’t stop beeping, and you were mad about it.” 

“In my defense, you promised you were going to change the batteries before you left.” 

“Yeah, so you say.” He gave a look, and it didn’t add up with their bickering. 

“What’s wrong?” 

He glanced around the airport before he looked back at her. “I’m sorry you’re spending your Christmas in an airport and traveling for twelve hours.” 

Anna Katherine looped her arm through his and rested her head against his shoulder, “I honestly don’t mind. I’m with my best friend. I’m about to go to Ireland, which you know I’ve been dying to do, and I’m away from Patricia.” 

“Yeah, but your missing family breakfast and all the presents and–” 

“Niall.” 

“What?” 

“Shut up. I’m here because I want to be and not anything you did. Don’t give yourself that much credit.” 

He laughed, “Of course. No one could make the great Anna Katherine do anything she didn’t want to do.” 

“Exactly. Which means I want to be here with you.” 

Niall was mindlessly scrolling on his phone when Kit asked him, “If you were having a bad day, which would you prefer? Me comforting you or a lazy netflixing without the chill?” 

He shot her a glance, “What’re you doing?” 

“Just answer, Niall.” 

“Lazy Netflix, I guess.” 

“Okay, that’s what I thought. Now, do you hate it most when I criticize you or always think about other things?” 

This time, he placed his phone down and leaned over to see what she was doing. “What–” He snatched her phone away from her, “What is this? Is this that dumb love language quiz?” 

“It’s not dumb! I need to learn how to love you better.” She huffed out the last part. 

“You only gave me two options out of the four.” 

“I knew the other two weren’t you.” 

“If you’re making me do this, I’m doing it myself.” He refreshed the page so he could start over, “Wait. This is for couples.” 

Kit rolled her eyes, “Duh.” 

He gave her a look, “Okay.” He clicked to start the quiz and when Kit leaned over to see, he positioned himself so she couldn’t see the phone screen. “This is a dumb question.” 

“Which one is it?” She tried again to peer over to get a look, “Niall, let me see!” 

_“What do you think of the quote, ‘I can live for two months on a good compliment?’_ Like, what does that even mean? This is dumb.” 

“I think you would choose…” 

“No!” Niall stood up to get away from her, “ _Words aren’t my strong point, I prefer just spending time alone together_. This is the most accurate, I guess. But I don’t like it.” 

Kit stood up next to him. He held his hand out to keep her from getting any closer. “Just choose the one that you relate to the most!” 

“And what if I don’t relate to any of them?” 

“You’re being impossible.” 

“Sounds like someone else I know.” When she stopped trying to get to the phone, Niall went to the next question, “ _You’re feeling a little down, so you’d really like your partner to:_ One, _Say, ‘I know it’s hard and I admire your courage.’_ That’s a maybe. Two, _Come home early to spend a cosy evening with you._ Three. _Offer you a surprise weekend of relaxation._ Or Four, _Take you in their arms and make you forget it all.”_

Kit stands across from him with her arms crossed. When she stayed quiet, he asked, “What? No clever remark?” 

She shrugged. 

“Well, we know you’d choose that last one.” 

“This isn’t about me, Niall.” 

“I think I’d choose the first one.” 

“No!” She stomped over to him, “That’s not right. You’d for sure prefer that first one with Harry or Louis but with your partner you’d prefer the second option!” 

“That sounds like every night we spend together.” 

“Exactly, and this is about your partner not your best mates. I’m your partner, whether or not you like it.” 

Niall rolled his eyes, but in the end he chose the second option. They sat back down and went through the next few options. Niall reluctantly allowed her to lean on him so she could see the screen. He answered a few of them with ease, but when he got stuck on one, he tilted the screen towards Kit. She quickly picked the third option. 

When she noticed him looking at her, she shrugged, “You always love it when we go do stuff together, even if you are stressed.” 

He hummed in response, but kept going. After a few more, he got to another that stumped him. “ _To spontaneously show your love to your partner, you would usually:_ Two _, take some time out to spend together_ or four _, cuddle and spoil them?_ Is this what I would rather do or what I would do because I know what you would prefer?” 

She turned to look at him, “What do you mean?” 

“Well for most people I would spend time with them to show them I care, but with you, I give you the cuddles you so greedily demand from me.” 

Instead of the snarky comment he expected, he noticed her cheeks go pink. “Um, it is supposed to be about you and your partner, so, uh. I don’t know.” 

He glanced back down at the phone, and after a moment of hesitation, he clicked the last option. He was on a roll after that, easily choosing which answer best fit him while Kit watched over his shoulder and offered her own little comments about the quiz and his answers. It was all going fine until they got to the last question. Niall nearly choked. 

“What?” Kit reached over and took the phone, “ _You feel even more like making love when your partner…”_ She scrunched up her face, “Well, I wasn’t expecting that one.” 

“I thought you took the quiz.” 

“It was a while ago and this probably isn’t the same one. I just clicked on a random one.” 

Niall took the phone back and read the options, “One, _whispers into your ear how desirable you are._ You would never be able to do that with a straight face. Two, _has been really attentive to you throughout the day._ Three, _shows off the sexy nightwear they’ve bought for you.”_ He laughed, “As if you have any.” 

“Actually,” She said while leaning even further over his shoulder, “Your mom and I went lingerie shopping when she came for the wedding.” 

Niall whipped his head around so quick that his neck popped, “What?” 

“It’s what women do before a wedding, Niall.” 

“So there’s just… lingerie sitting around in our apartment? That you and my mum picked out together? For me?” 

“Yes. Keep up. Why is that weird?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be weird?!” He leaned away from her so he could see her more easily, “My mum went with you to pick out lingerie! She was assuming I would see it. She was thinking about us… you know…” 

“You giving me the Horan Meat Lover’s Glow?” 

He glared at her, “Yes.” 

“And?” 

“She’s my mum! And you’re...you’re…” 

“Your wife. I’m your wife.” 

“Yeah, but it’s–” 

“Not real, I know. But everyone else thinks it is. Should I have told her this was all a sham?” 

“Well, no…” 

“Then I don’t know what the problem is. I have lingerie. Big deal. You’ll probably never see it. You don’t have to worry about it. It’s fine.” 

Niall still didn’t think it was fine, but Kit made it clear that she wanted the conversation to end. He cleared his throat. “Fine.” 

“Now pick an answer and finish so we can finally see what your love language is.”

Niall clicked the second option, and then clicked the button to finish the quiz. He read the results out loud, “Quality words.” 

“I knew it!” 

“If you knew it then why did you force me to take this quiz?” 

“You know what they say about assuming, Niall.” She patted his shoulder, “Now read the description, please. I need to know everything.” 

Begrudgingly, he did as she said. 

On the flight, Niall let Anna Katherine have the window seat, and even though she had the window to lean and sleep on, she ended up passing out on Niall’s shoulder. She woke up halfway through the flight to Niall watching a movie. When he saw that she was awake, he offered her the food that he had grabbed for her when the stewardess came by while she had been sleeping. “Hungry?”

“Starved.” 

She dug into the airplane food, and when Niall spotted her watching the movie on his screen, he took an earbud out and handed it to her. “It will probably be better with sound.” 

With a mouth full of instant mashed potatoes, she smiled wide. “Thank you very much.” 

Niall woke her up as they were about to land, and Anna Katherine stayed half asleep as they went to baggage claim and walked through customs. Niall led her through the airport with his hand firm on her back, and it stayed there even once they were away from the crowds and could see Maura waving at them. 

Anna Katherine stepped away from Niall to give Maura a hug, and she didn’t like how she was immediately so aware of him not touching her. 

“Maura!” She stepped into her mother-in-law’s arms, “I’ve missed you.” 

Pulling away, Maura patted her cheeks, “Oh, I’ve missed you, too. Tell me everything I’ve missed.” 

“Well, Harry ruined my dog.” 

She looked amused, “Yes, Niall told me about that mishap.” 

“Speaking of Niall, Niall is right here waiting to hug his dear mum.” 

Maura and her made an exasperated face at each other, but Anna Katherine stepped away so Niall could step in. 

“Happy Christmas to the both of you. I feel so terrible that you two both had to travel during the holiday.” 

Anna Katherine saw the guilt come back on Niall’s face. Before he could let it eat him up too much, she said, “It’s fine. You Horan’s worry too much. It truly didn’t bother me.” 

“Still, let’s get the two of you home so we can start our Christmas celebrations. I’m sure both of you are hungry, too. I’ve been cooking for the past two days.” 

When they got to the house, Niall took their bags up to his room, and when he came back to the kitchen, he wrapped his arms around her to hug her from behind. She leaned against him, and tilted her head back to look at him, “Hi, there.” 

He smiled, “Want a tour of the house?” 

When she nodded, he untangled their arms from each other, took her hand, and started leading her through the house. It wasn’t a particularly large house, just big enough for Maura and him, but it was cozy and homey in a way that he hoped helped Kit feel at home. He took them through the kitchen and front room, pointed out the corner where he did most of his assignments when he was still in school, and then led them up the stairs. 

“And this,” He waved her in, “Is my bedroom.” 

She walked over to his dresser and picked up a picture, “Oh my God. Is this baby Niall?” 

Niall came and snatched the photo away from her, “Give that!” 

“Heyyy.” She pouted and went to grab it, but he lifted it over their heads. 

“No, because you’re about to make fun of me.” 

“I would never.” When he gave her a very disbelieving look she said, “I would only say how cute you were and then ask what the hell happened.” 

“That was mean.” 

She jumped to grab it, but he stepped back, “Ah-ha. You called me ugly.” 

“You’re twisting my words.” 

“You heavily implied it.” 

“Niall.”

“Kit.” 

“You know you’re not ugly.” 

He smirked, “Oh, do I?” 

She went to grab the picture again, but he ducked around her. She spun around as he went behind her, “I’ve already told you that I think your accent is sexy, isn’t that enough?” 

“Nope.” 

“Well, that’s too bad.” 

She went to sit on his bed, and was surprised when he followed her, “Don’t be a party pooper.” 

When she refused to look at him, he reached out to poke her, “Kit-Kat.” 

She squealed and moved out of his reach. She was trying to hold in a laugh when he lunged towards her and tackled her onto the bed, the photo fluttering to the floor forgotten.

Her eyes went wide as he pinned her against his bed with her hands by her head. “Let me go, Niall.” 

“Not until you validate my charming good looks.” 

“Niall James, let. Me. Go.” 

He shook his head. “You know what you have to do.” 

She glared at him, and when she realized he meant it, she relented. “You’re a very beautiful man.”

He tilted his head to the side, “Beautiful?” 

She struggled to get out, but his grip was too strong on her. “Yes, beautiful. Your stupid, stupid blue eyes and that soft, ridiculous smile you do and your damn hair. Don’t get me started on that chin dimple or your stupidly cute nose or your freakin hands.” 

Niall looked taken aback, “That was, uh, my hands?” 

She refused to look him in the eye when she shrugged, “Hands are a thing.” 

“For who?” 

“Plenty of people.”

“Like who?” 

“Me! You just have really good hands, okay?” 

He let go of her wrists and sat up, still straddling her. He turned his hands around looking at them, “Huh. Really?” He looked at her again, but she refused to look back. “My hands do it for ya, huh?” 

She wiggled, “Can you stop being a validation hoe and get off of me?” 

He shook his head and leaned down again, this time much closer than before. “I don’t see the problem. We’re touching. A lot.” He pressed his body against hers to further prove his point. When her eyes went wide, he smirked, “You’re giving me quality words or whatever. We’re both winning here.” 

“Somehow, I don’t feel like I’m winning.” 

She was still glaring at him when he rubbed his thumb against her cheek, “Would it make you feel better if I told you all the things I find attractive about you?” 

She squinted her eyes at him, “Maybe.” 

“The first time I saw you, it was your legs and ass.” She swatted him, and he laughed. “Now your eyes get me. They light up when you start on one of your passionate rants. And how you scrunch up your face when you think something is gross. That’s really adorable, and I think you know it.”

She was still glaring, but there was a smirk hiding behind it. 

“I’m really into your ears.” 

“Ears?” 

“Mhm.” 

“Niall, that’s weird.” 

“You’re the one with a hand fetish.” 

“I feel like that’s more normal than ears.” 

His hand went to tickle her side, and she squealed when he grabbed a hold of her and twisted them around so she was on top of him. He rested his hands on her thighs. “So, let’s get back at the topic at hand. Which is, coincidentally, hands. Mine, specifically.” 

She swatted his chest, and went to get up as he laughed at her, but he grabbed her waist and held her against him. When she looked at him again, his features softened. 

“Hey.” 

All the fight left her when she heard his tone, “Hi, Niall.” 

“I’m really glad you’re here.” 

She gave him a bright smile that caused his heart to stutter and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, “It’s what any wife would do. Now let me go so I can get food.” 

She slid off his lap and was out the door before he could find a response. 

As Anna Katherine walked to the kitchen, Maura gave her a knowing look. “The tour of the house took a bit.” 

She felt her cheeks heat up, “We, uh, got distracted.” 

“No need to be embarrassed.”

Niall came in behind her, and rested his elbow on her shoulder, “Why are we not embarrassed?” 

“The two of you took an awfully long time in your bedroom.”

“It wasn’t that long, but also, gross.” Niall walked towards her, “Sex and my mum? No.” 

“Love making is a natural and beautiful part of marriage, Niall.” 

“Yeah, Niall.” Anna Katherine came up behind Niall and swatted his ass, “It’s a beautiful experience. No need to be so shy.” 

Niall jumped, startled, and glared at her, “Anna Katherine.”

“Hm?” 

He looked from her to his mom and then, “Ma, is it normal for someone to have a hand fetish? Because Kit here–” 

“Niall!” 

She went to slap him, but he ducked out of the way laughing and ran out of the kitchen. 

Loud enough that she knew he could still hear her, she asked Maura, “And what about an ear fetish?” 

_“Anna Katherine!”_

“You started it.” 

Maura smiled, “You two are really something else.” 

They sat around the small kitchen table for their Christmas dinner that Maura really outdid herself on. They all helped clean up once they had stuffed themselves to the brim, and then made their way to the front room to sit around the tree and open presents. Maura bought them both Christmas sweaters that Anna Katherine immediately pulled over her head before going to open the next present from Maura, which was a new wallet, something she had told Niall in passing that she needed just weeks before. When she looked over at him, he was already smiling at her. 

“Maura, I love these.” She turned the wallet over in her hands, “Thank you.” 

Maura opened hers from the both of them, which was her very own standing mixer. She laughed when she saw what it was, “Kit’s idea I’m assuming?” 

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

“Other than marrying me.” Niall piped up. 

She ignored him. “I figured you would love it just as much as I do.” 

“Well, thank you. Both of you.”

That night, Maura headed up before the two of them, and on her way to her bedroom, she turned to look at them with the same mischievous glint that Niall got in his eyes when he was about to drive Anna Katherine crazy. 

“You two be sure to lock up before you head to bed, and…” She looked at Niall, “Try not to make me a grandma yet. I’m not quite ready for that.” 

“Ma!” 

“Don’t worry, Maura. I don’t think we’re ready for that, either.” 

She laughed all the way up the stairs. 

Anna Katherine moved so her head was in Niall’s lap. “Today was good.” 

He brushed her hair out of her face, “Yeah. It’s been long, though. Aren’t you tired?” 

“Extremely.” She stretched out and cuddled further into him. 

“Kit.” 

“Hm?” 

“If you fall asleep on me, I’m not carrying you up the stairs.” 

“You’d probably drop me anyway.” She yawned, “Besides, I won’t fall asleep.” 

They both ended up falling asleep, and it wasn’t until Niall woke up in the middle of the night with a crick in his neck, that they both stumbled to bed with half-closed eyes. 

Anna Katherine woke up to Niall pulling her to him. She kept her eyes closed as she curled up into his chest. 

“Maura made us breakfast.” 

“No.” 

“No she didn’t or no you don’t want any?” 

“No.” 

“She has coffee.”

“Mmm. Yes.” 

“Do you want me to bring you a cup?” 

She nodded her head, but when he started to move his arms away from her, she tightened her grip on him. 

“Kit, if you want me to get you coffee, you’re going to have to let me go.” 

She groaned, but when he went to move her hands away, she let him. 

When Niall came back, she had stolen his pillow and was holding it to her chest. “Did the pillow replace me?” 

She cracked an eye open. When she saw the two mugs of steaming coffee, she sat up and grabbed for one. Before she took a sip, she mumbled, “No one could replace you, Ni.” 

“I want that in writing.” 

“Shh. No more talking until at least three sips.” 

He sat back down on the bed beside her with a chuckle, and she immediately went to lean against his side. 

“I feel like you’re being more touchy than normal.” 

She elbowed him, “No talking.” 

“Oh, right.” 

He draped his arm over her shoulders, and in the time she took four sips, he was still working on his second. 

“So,” He ran his fingers over her arms. “Why so touchy?” 

“I’m not.” 

He drummed his fingers, “I strongly disagree.” 

She took another sip of her coffee, “If I am, which I’m not, it’s probably the holidays.” 

“Are you a big softie, Kit?” 

She wrapped her fingers around her mug and held it close to her chest. When she leaned her head against his shoulder, “No. Especially when people are annoying, which you are this morning.” 

“I have been nothing but a doting husband.” 

She snorted, “Who won’t shut up.” 

“I will never understand why you’re so cranky in the mornings.” 

“Mornings aren’t fun, Niall! Most people are cranky.” 

“I’m not.” 

“I know.” She pulled away from him, shoving her cup at his chest so he was forced to take it, and climbed over him. 

“Where are you going?” 

“Gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee.” 

He laughed as she ran down the hall to the toilet.

They finally made it to the kitchen, and while Anna Katherine was stuffing her face she asked, “What’s the plan for today?” 

Niall shrugged, “There’s not much of one.” 

“Oh, Niall, you should take her around town. Let her see where you grew up.” Maura offered. 

Anna Katherine smiled, “Oh, sign me up.” 

Niall told her a dozen times to bring warm clothes, yet somehow he wasn’t surprised when she immediately started complaining about the cold. He was lounged on his bed while she dug through her suitcase looking for warm clothes. 

“You brought a jacket at least, right?” 

She shot him a glare over her shoulder, “Yes, but it’s not thick enough to keep the wind out.” 

“I told you to pack–” 

“It’s not my fault! I’m from the _South_ , Niall. We have warm Christmases.” 

“The temperatures aren’t that different.” 

“But the wind!” 

He slid off the bed, “You’re hopeless.” 

He went to his closet, all too aware of her eyes on him, and looked around until he found an old Derby jumper of his. “Here.” He tossed it to her, “Wear that underneath your jacket and you should be fine.” 

She jumped up, and the next thing he knew, she was pecking his cheek. “Thank you!” And then she darted off to change. Again. 

He took her downtown first, and it was after they went to a few shops and he pointed a few things out that she said, “I don’t want The Boring Tour. I want the Baby Niall Tour.” 

Niall gave her a flat look, “The what?” 

“The Baby Niall Tour. You know, the one that shows me everything about you. Show me where you scraped your knee or made a fool out of yourself in front of all your mates or where you first fell in love!” 

“Really?” 

Her smile widened, “Yes!” 

Niall wasn’t thrilled about it, but he could feel himself relenting to her wishes anyway. He took her by the pub where he first got drunk, the shop where he had his first job, and where he and his mates went when they skipped class. 

As they walked by a beautiful stone building he said, “And this is where I went to church.” 

Kit took the building in, and then she turned to him smirking, “You were an altar boy, weren’t you? Oh my goodness. I bet you were the cutest altar boy to have ever altar boy’ed.” 

He gave her a shove, “You’re taking the piss.” 

“Of course I am,” She laughed. “Ooh. Wait. You’re Catholic, and I’m protestant. This makes us like Romeo and Juliet or something.” 

“I hope not.” He snorted, “They both died.” 

“Hm. Would you kill yourself if you thought I had died?” 

“What a morbid question.” He draped his arm over her shoulder, “I’d rather not think about your death to be honest.” 

“Oh, come on. Humor me. I don’t think I could live without you in my life.” 

He gave her a curious glance, “You saying you’d be so devastated that you’d kill yourself?” 

“Of course not. But I’d probably die of boredom or lack of food.” 

“Come off it. You’d be fine.” 

She wrapped her arm around his waist, “Maybe, but I wouldn’t want to find out.” 

“And that is where we agree.” 

Next he took her to his school, another stone building. “And this is my secondary school.”

“Why is every building in Ireland so beautiful?” 

“Your home has beauty, too.” 

She shook her head, “Not like this. My high school had cinder blocks for walls and awful laminate flooring.” 

“The inside isn’t that great. Trust me.” 

“You’re biased, therefore I don’t trust you. Even if it isn’t as beautiful as the outside, this makes up for it. I bet it’s gorgeous when it snows.” 

He shrugged, “I guess. I’ve never really thought about it.”

“All of this beauty is wasted on you, I swear.” 

“Well it’s a good thing I have you to point it all out to me then.” 

“Yes. Lucky you.” She took his hand and pulled him along, “Alright, so tell me about Baby Niall. What was he like? Did he have any girlfriends? Did he get in trouble a lot?” 

“Uh,” He scratched his neck. “Not many girls. I did have my first kiss behind this building though.” 

“Oooh. Scandalous. Who was the lucky girl?” 

He cut his eyes at her, “Vivian, actually.” 

She stopped, “Really? Your first love was also your first kiss?” 

He nodded.

“When was that?” 

He thought for a moment, “I was either fourteen or fifteen.” 

Her eyes went wide, “So you two dated for what? Five or six years?” 

“Yup.” 

“Wow.” She looked at him, but then kept walking, her hand firm in his. “No wonder you were so torn up about her when she ended things.” 

“Yeah, but I don't regret it. I don’t think Jonah and I would have become as close without that heartbreak, so who knows if you and me would be friends today without Vivian completely crushing me.” 

“No.” Kit shook her head adamantly, “I don’t like that thought process. I like to think that in every alternate universe, we always find our way to each other.” 

He smiled down at her, “Yeah?” 

“You’re my person, Niall. I refuse to have it any other way.” 

His smile only grew. 

He took her to a few more places like where he got in a fight and nearly got expelled from school and the field where he tore his ACL playing a footie match. The last place he took her was his favorite place in all the world. They climbed up a hill on the outskirts of town where an old abandoned cottage sat long forgotten by most of the town. The view from the top was beautiful, but it was the peace from being away from the hustle and bustle that drew Niall in. 

Once they got to the top, he spread his arms out, “And this is my favorite place.” 

Kit turned in a circle taking it all in. And then there was that infamous Kit smirk, “I bet you take all the girls up here, don’t you?” 

“Actually,” Niall cocked his head to the side, a little surprised himself. “You’re the only person I’ve ever brought up here.” 

Even though Kit tried to hide it, Niall could see that little fact pleased her. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his middle, tilting her head back to look at him. “I’m just that special, huh?” 

He brushed her windblown hair out of her face, “Yeah. You really are, Kitten.”

The next morning, Anna Katherine woke up to Niall tracing patterns on her back. She stretched out, and then rolled over to face him. 

“Morning.” 

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Her eyes were still closed, but she heard the smile in his voice. “I have coffee for you.” 

“Mm.” She blindly grabbed for him and pulled herself to him. “My hero.” 

He started running his fingers through her hair, “You don’t want it now?” 

“Not yet. Just hold me.” 

She smiled into his side when he did just that. She relished in his warmth as he scrolled through his phone, and even though she knew she needed to get up, she couldn’t find the motivation to do so. Eventually, she patted Niall’s stomach, and despite her not saying a word, he knew what she wanted. He handed her the coffee as she went to sit up, and after her third sip he spoke up. 

“Louis wants us to go see him while we’re here.”

“I feel like that was a given.” 

“Yeah, but now we have to figure out when.” 

“Ugh. That sounds awful. I’ll leave that to you.” 

Niall chuckled, “Gee, thanks.” 

“Anytime.” 

“Don’t forget I’m going to see some friends today.” 

“Yep. Don’t worry. Maura and I will have a wonderful day.” 

“Just don’t buy any more lingerie.” 

She slapped his arm, and he laughed. 

Maura showed Anna Katherine some more of the town. They grabbed lunch where everyone in the building seemed to know Maura and Niall, and after they finished shopping, they went to see one of her friends for afternoon tea. 

On the way back to the house, they walked through the park. Anna Katherine was enjoying the scenery when Maura said, “You love my son well.” 

She looked at her, a little surprised by her comment. “What do you mean.” 

“I see the way the two of you are with each other. You balance each other out.” Maura looped their arms together. “Niall told me how you helped him out of that slump when he was in between jobs and how he came close to accepting that job in New York City, but it was your influence that stopped him.” 

Anna Katherine tried to brush it off, “Oh, but that was selfish of me. I didn’t want to see him leave.” 

“It might’ve started that way or that might be a large reason, but I also think that you saw his worth before he did. He wouldn’t have been able to work his way up the way he has at the company he’s working for now. You were the one that told him he needed room to grow, and he has that now. He received that leadership award because of that. Because of you.” 

She shook her head, “No. That was all Niall. He would be successful no matter where he is.” 

“That is true.” Maura patted her arm, “But you help him just as much as I’m sure he helps you.” 

Anna Katherine stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond. 

“It’s not just that, though,” Maura continued. “Niall has always loved deeply. He’s very observant and thoughtful, and he expects people to have the same intentions he does, which causes him a lot of heartbreak. But you do. You’re intentional with him, and I want to thank you for that.” 

Panic began to rise in her throat. She did her best to swallow it down. “I don’t deserve him.” 

She wasn’t sure where those words came from, but she felt the truth behind them. Niall has been there for her through thick and thin since he first came into her life. He has loved her, and Anna Katherine is self aware enough to know that isn’t an easy task. She’s cranky and demanding and difficult. But Niall never loses his temper with her, he never belittles her. He calls her out on her shit, but he’s always there afterwards to pick her back up. He sees her in a way many people can’t, and how does she repay him? With sarcasm and sass and enough attitude to last anyone the rest of their lives. 

“Oh, no. Don’t think like that, dear.” Maura gave her another pat, “Life isn’t about what anyone deserves. It’s about our choices and what we decide to fight for. You and him? You chose each other, and that’s enough. I love you so much more for how you choose him.” 

The panic had now made itself at home in her throat, and it made it difficult to breathe. Nothing Maura had said wasn’t true, and that was the scariest part. Maybe Maura saw her better than she could even see herself. And then a more horrifying thought invaded her space. 

_What if she finds out this is a sham?_

Her blood ran cold, and panic gripped her heart. 

Anna Katherine did her best not to be obvious about it, but as soon as they got back to the house she ran upstairs to Niall’s room hoping he was already home. When she saw him on the bed reading a book, she laid herself on top of him, hiding her face in his stomach. 

“Uh, hello.” 

“We’re going to crush and shatter and _destroy_ your mom, Ni.” 

Niall closed his book, “What are you on about now?” 

She scooted up and propped her chin on his chest. “On the way home today, she kept going on about…” She almost told him how Maura had gone on about how well she loved him. But that felt too raw to tell Niall, which was a strange place for her to be. She typically told him everything. 

“About what?” 

“Just.” She heaved out a sigh. “The two of us and how we’re perfect for each other and… If she finds out we’re not doing this for love, it’s going to shatter her!” 

He brushed her hair behind her ear and gave it a tug, “I need you to look at me, Kit.” 

She did as she was told reluctantly. 

“She’s not going to find out. Just like your mom isn’t going to find out or anyone else for that matter. You say you trust me, so trust me on this.” 

“I just…” Another sigh, “I love her. I don’t want to hurt her.” 

“And you won’t. Even if she does find out, that pain she’ll feel is on me, not you.” 

“No. We’re in this together.” 

Another tug on her ear, “Fine. But the point still stands. She won’t find out.” 

She rested her cheek against his chest. “I won’t be able to stand it if she does.” 

He gave her arm a rub, “I know, but it’ll all work out. Promise.” 

“She’s going to be devastated when we get a divorce.” She couldn’t help but add, and her stomach dropped at the thought, telling her she’d be devastated, too. 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Breathe, Kit.” 

She did, wrapping her arms around him and keeping him close. 

Niall and Kit borrowed Maura’s car to drive to Dublin where they met Louis at his new flat, and spent the day walking around the city. When they walked through St. Stephen’s Green, Niall could see Kit immediately fall in love with it. They bought sandwiches and coffees at a small shop and had their own picnic outside. Louis, surprising both of them, cooked them dinner that night. 

The next day they all lazed around until Louis forced them all to get up and head over to Zayn’s. 

Louis introduced them all, and while Zayn was much quieter than Louis, which honestly didn’t take much. Even with his quiet demeanor, Anna Katherine and him talked about art and how their two majors in college overlapped. They were still talking as people started to show up for his New Year’s party, and they only stopped their conversation once someone asked him for help in the kitchen. 

He looked apologetic when he said, “We’ll continue this later?” 

She gave him a smile, “Of course. I’ll be around here somewhere.” 

Throughout the evening more and more people showed up, and soon the bass of the music was thrumming through the walls, everyone had a drink in their hand, and there were two tables of beer pong set up. 

Kit stood on her tiptoes, leaning against Niall’s shoulder, to whisper, “I feel like we’re in college again.” 

“We haven’t been to one of these in a while, have we?” 

“Must be because we’re that old married couple who stays in watching reality television.” 

“Must be that.” 

Niall isn’t the jealous type. He rarely, if at all, became jealous when he was in a relationship with Vivian, and as awful as it sounded, he wasn’t jealous when he caught Rachel, his sort of but not really girlfriend, in bed with Jonah. If anything, he was just pissed that they both did that to Kit. So when he saw some random guy leaning over Kit while she was against the wall and clearly flirting with her, that feeling was a new one for him. 

Apparently he wasn’t doing a great job of hiding it, either. Louis sidled up to him, “You look pissed.” 

When Niall stayed quiet, Louis looked where he had been staring. “Oh, gotcha. Jealousy is a bitch, ain’t she?” He gripped Niall’s shoulder, “You haven’t a thing to worry about. Kit is loyal to you.” 

Louis walked away, and Niall stared at Kit and whoever was flirting with her for a moment longer before he walked up to them. 

Kit smiled when she noticed him, “Where’ve you been?” 

The guy swiveled his head to see who she was smiling at and frowned when he saw Niall. 

Niall ignored him, “Around. Talked to Zayn for a bit, then wanted to find you.” 

She stepped around the guy to stand next to him. He didn’t think anyone could blame him for feeling a little smug. 

The guy nodded towards him, “Who’s this?” 

Before Kit could answer, he said, “I’m her husband.” 

Kit gave him an amused look when he draped his arm over her shoulder. 

The guy’s eyes went wide, “Oh.” He looked between the two of them and then, “Well, I’ll see the two of you around.” 

Kit waved cheerfully as he walked away, and then turned and smirked at Niall, “Look who’s jealous now.” 

“Am not.” 

“Your face says otherwise, Niall James.” 

He pulled her against him again and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “Whatever. I didn’t like that he was flirting with you. Sue me.” 

She laughed and leaned against him, “At least you admitted it.” 

He rolled his eyes. 

Later, they found themselves sitting around talking with the other guests at the party. Niall was sitting at the end of a couch with Kit perched on the arm beside him. They were laughing and having a good time, and then Kit got up and disappeared into the throng of people. Once she was gone a good while, Niall went in search of her. 

Niall found Kit in the kitchen perched atop the counter, sipping a glass of water, and munching away on chips that sat in a bowl in her lap. When she smiled at him, it was like she was a magnet pulling him in. He couldn’t have stopped it even if he had tried. He found himself standing between her legs, lifting the bowl of chips off her lap and setting it to the side.

“You disappeared.” 

He wondered if it was a conscious decision on her part to hook her foot around his leg. “I wanted a snack.” 

His eyes left hers to glance at the bowl of chips beside her, “I see that.” 

He rested his palms on her thighs, and the heat coming off of her calmed his beating heart. 

“Did ya miss me?” 

He chuckled because it was such a Kit question after being gone only a few minutes, but also because, yeah. He did. 

“What do you think, Kit?” 

They’re close enough that he could feel her breath against his cheek. 

“I think you miss me every time I leave a room.” 

He thought she was taking the piss, but the near perfect accuracy of her words were a blow to his chest. His neck began to feel too tired to hold up his head, and he let it fall and rest against her shoulder. He let out a sigh when her hands went to his hair, running her fingers through it and massaging his scalp. 

Niall’s hands trailed up her thighs, and his fingers rested at the waist of her jeans. At the sound of her letting out a long breath, he slid his hands under her shirt and splayed them across her back. He pressed his lips against the crook of her neck, not quite a kiss. They both stayed like that for a moment, tangled and taking each other in with each breath. 

He didn’t know if it was the alcohol in his system or the late hour or the endless possibilities that the new year promised, but whatever it was, he found his courage. 

With his lips still pressed against her skin, he mumbled, “I wanna kiss you.” 

He heard her sharp intake of breath, but she still felt relaxed in his arms. “What’s stopping you?”

He heard the classic Anna Katherine snark in her voice, but when he pulled back to look at her, he saw a myriad of emotions on her face and the vulnerability in her eyes. 

He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. The ability to form words had left him. He took in her features, stared at her lips, and then she was pulling him forward. 

As they began to kiss away from prying eyes, Niall’s entire world fell away. There was only Kit. Her hands in his hair. Her leg hooked around his. His hands against her back. Her taste. Her smell. Her sounds. 

He couldn’t think of anything other than her. He didn’t want to think of anything other than her. All he wanted was her and whatever she was willing to give him. 

They pulled away to breathe, and he leaned his forehead against hers. Her eyes were closed, but she was smiling. “Anna Katherine, I…” 

But she cut him off when she surged back for another kiss, this one somehow more intense than the first. She tugged at his hair, and in response he gripped her sides, his fingers digging into her soft skin. 

She arched her back and made a sound that drove him crazy and… 

“Well, well, well.” 

They jumped apart and turned to look at the source of the voice. 

“Guess that honeymoon feeling hasn’t left yet,” Louis smirked as he took the two of them in. He grabbed a beer from the counter, and shook his head at them. “But on a kitchen counter that’s not even yours? Don’t be animals!” 

They watched as he left the kitchen, and then Niall slowly turned back to her. He was relieved to see she was still smiling. He intertwined their fingers and helped her off the counter, “C’mon. Let’s go join the others.” 

Niall drove them home the next morning. The drive was quiet but comfortable, and every once in a while Anna Katherine would catch herself staring at Niall as he focused on the road ahead. There was greenery and beauty right outside her window, but Niall kept catching her attention. 

More often than not, she found herself thinking back to their kiss in the kitchen. It hadn’t been like any of their others. It wasn’t Niall getting caught up in the moment or her wanting revenge or them putting on a show for everyone else. It had been raw and honest, and it had shook her to her core. 

As they parked the car in front of the house, Kit stumbled upon the horrifying realization that she was quite possibly in love with Niall Horan. 

_Well, shit._

Nat had planned on doing absolutely nothing on New Year’s Day. After Harry dragged her to the party at Liam’s the night before, she was exhausted and wanted to stay in bed all day with a good book and a cup of tea. She doubted she’d even cook or leave the house for food. She’d just eat whatever junk she had in the kitchen, and hoped it wouldn’t make her feel like crap in the morning. 

She had a bag of potato chips beside her on the bed while re-reading one of her favorite books. Regardless of how loud her door slammed or how loud the person was taking off their shoes and making their way down the hall and into her room, Nat wasn’t aware anyone was in her apartment until Harry flailed himself on top of her. Somehow, she wasn’t even surprised. 

“Why are you on top of me?” 

“We’re cuddling.” 

“No.” 

“It is scientifically proven that a human needs eight meaningful touches a day, Nat. We both live by ourselves. I don’t think we’re getting that.” 

“No.” 

“We’re co-parents, this is what people do when they are the parents of another’s child.” 

“I will never be the parent of your child, Harry.” 

“That’s what you think.” He smirked, showing off his dimples, and nodded towards himself, “I know you’ve thought about this.” 

Nat blamed the fact that she wasn’t prepared for the spontaneous Harry visit for the blush that crept up her neck and cheeks. Nat shoved Harry off of her with a huff, and did her best not to notice how his eyes had gone wide. 

She could feel him watching her for a moment before he said, “Speaking of kids, have you spoken to our two idiotic children lately?” 

“Don’t call them our children, but yes.” 

“Niall has been uncharacteristically quiet, so I’m going to need you to tell me everything Kit has told you.” 

Nat thought back to the text she got in the middle of the night last night. It was only five words, but it made Nat worry all the more. 

_Niall and I made out._

“She hasn’t said much. Just that she’s had fun and all.” Which wasn’t a lie. Kit had told her she’s had fun. That’s just not what the latest message had said. 

“Nothing else?” 

Nat shook her head, still refusing to look at him. 

“You’re hiding something.” 

“I am not.”

He squinted at her, “Naaa-taaa-liiee.” 

He drawled out her name in that ridiculous accent of his. She mocked him, “Haaa-rrry.” 

“That was a terrible attempt at a british accent.” 

“Good thing no one asked you.” 

He stuck out his bottom lip, “I know you’re hiding something.” 

“You know nothing.” 

“I know you.”

She scoffed, “No, you don’t.” 

She knew she was in trouble when she saw his smirk, “I think I know you well enough to know what would get you to talk.”

“Oh? And what’s that?” 

Harry leaned up on his elbow, and Nat thought he was entirely too close for comfort. When he began to lean even closer, she froze. 

“Yeah.”

She felt his breath against her neck as he dipped down and whispered, “This.”

She felt him press his lips against her neck, and she let out a gasp. He began trailing kisses down her neck and to her shoulder, only to come back up, hesitating at her jaw, hovering over her lips before pulling away. She felt herself chasing the ghost of the kiss. 

“Tell me what you’re hiding from me, Nat.” 

She groaned, “Kit and Niall made out on New Year’s Eve and I’m ninety percent sure Kit is in love with Niall.” 

Harry jumped off of her, “What?!” 

She ran her hand over her face. “I mean, Kit didn’t tell me the love thing. But the make out sesh definitely happened.” 

“And Niall didn’t tell me?!” 

“Kit didn’t tell me about straddling Niall that first time.” 

“But that’s Kit!” He pulled at his lip. 

“Hey, Harry?” He looked at her, “I don’t want to talk about them right now. Get back over here and kiss me before I kill you. I know how to hide a body.” 

Harry smirked, “I don’t doubt that.” 

When he hovered over her again, they were both smiling into the kiss.


	7. Seventh Commandment

**Seventh Commandment:** **_Thou Shalt Split The Bills 60/40._ **

_ “You have to pay for sixty percent of the bills.”  _

_ “Kit. Why?”  _

_ “I’m a lowly bartender. You have a big boy job.” She shrugged, “Makes sense.”  _

_ “You’re lucky I love you.”  _

_ She beamed at him.  _

* * *

Niall and Anna Katherine didn’t talk about their kiss in Zayn’s kitchen. The morning after it happened, her stomach was coiled in fear of how it would change their dynamic, but Niall still brought her coffee, still held her close, and still snarked back when she complained about having to wake up so early. Nothing changed between them when they arrived back at Maura’s or flew back home a few days later. The only thing that changed once they were home was how busy they were. The bar was shorthanded, which meant Anna Katherine suddenly had to begin working more doubles than she was used to. For the first three weeks of the year, she barely saw any of her friends, including Niall. 

The other thing that changed was that she was pretty sure she was falling for her best friend. She thought she was handling it well, but she still wanted to talk about it with Nat. Unfortunately for her, their schedules never matched up. Before she knew it, January began to fade into February, and weeks had passed since she last laid eyes on Nat. When she finally had an evening off, she texted Nat on her way home telling her to meet at her and Niall’s place. 

She found Nat on her bed, and Anna Katherine had a moment where she wondered when the last time she slept in her own bed was. Every night she curled in next to Niall, and even her clothes were beginning to take up space on his floor and on top of his dresser. 

Nat looked up from her phone, “Geez, you look like shit.” 

“Thanks. Working doubles for three weeks will do that to you.” She plopped herself at the end of the bed with a groan. “Can we go back to the holidays?” 

“Sorry. Seems we have to wait another eleven months.” 

“That’s just unrealistic.” 

“Alright.” Nat sat up and crossed her legs, “Enough stalling. Why am I here?” 

“Can’t I just miss my best friend?” 

“Yes, but your text screamed crisis.” 

“I was very careful about it not screaming crisis.” 

“Which is why I could tell it was, in fact, still screaming crisis.” 

Anna Katherine let out another groan. 

“Out with it.” 

She twisted over on her side so she was facing Nat, but when she went to say what was on her mind, her eyes flicked to her comforter, and she picked at a loose thread. “It’s nothing, really. It’s just that…” She rolled back on her back. “I think I might be falling for Niall.” 

Nat was silent, which honestly surprised Anna Katherine. She turned back to face her only to find her staring. 

“No comment?” 

Nat shrugged, “I’m not sure what you want me to say. It’s not like this is a surprise to anyone but you.” She thought a moment, “And probably Niall. You’re both idiots.” 

She glared. “I get it. We’re idiots. Now, will you help me?” 

“Help? How in the world am I supposed to help right now?” 

She sat up, swinging her legs around and pulling her knees up to her chest. “I don’t know! Just… help!” 

Nat sighed, “He’s your husband, Kit.” 

“That’s the exact problem. Thank you for pointing that out.” 

“Having feelings for your husband is normal!” 

“Did you forget that our situation is not normal?” 

“Doesn’t mean you can’t just ride this out.” At the look Anna Katherine sent her, Nat kept going, “Let’s start at the beginning. When did you start to feel this way?” 

And so Anna Katherine did. She told Nat about her conversation with Maura and the kiss in the kitchen and her terribly horrific realization on the drive back to Mullingar. 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Nat waved her hands, “You’re telling me that all those things Maura said is what sparked this?” 

She nodded. 

“I’ve been saying those things for years!” 

She shrugged, “But you’re not Maura.” 

This time the groan came from Nat. 

By the time Nat and Anna Katherine emerged from the bedroom the sun was setting, their nails were freshly painted, and Niall was home, cooking in the kitchen. She was still having a crisis, but it didn’t feel quite as overwhelming as before she had talked to Nat. 

When Niall heard them come into the kitchen, he greeted them with a smile, “Hi.” 

Anna Katherine came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle, and looked over his shoulder, “Whatcha cookin’?” 

“Nothing special. Just a simple pasta.” 

“Well it smells delicious.” 

Niall squeezed the hand that rested against his stomach, “Thanks.” 

She untangled herself from him and went to the table where Nat was watching them. “What?”

Nat shook her head, “Nothing.” 

“You staying for dinner, Nat?” Niall asked. 

“If you have enough food, sure.” 

“We always have enough for our Nat.” Niall spooned them all a serving in bowls and joined them at the table. “Have you seen Harry lately?” 

Nat stopped twirling the pasta with her fork, “No. Why would I?” 

Niall shrugged, “Just that you two have that new blossoming friendship thing going on.” 

Anna Katherine huffed, “Which I still find so strange. You hated him.” 

Nat took a bite and carefully chewed, “I never  _ hated  _ him. He just rubbed me the wrong way. He still does, actually.” 

“He seems to do that to a lot of people. But once you get to know him, he’s just…” Niall trailed off trying to find the right words. 

Nat stabbed her pasta, “A bundle of joy that somehow still makes you irate but also makes you fall in love with the world and all of humanity again?” 

Niall and Anna Katherine stared at her. 

“Uh…” 

Niall began to smirk, “Yeah. Something like that.” 

After Nat left, Niall and Kit didn’t waste any time getting in bed. He brushed his teeth while she washed her face, and he pulled the sheets back and put both their phones on the chargers while she ducked in her room to change. When she came back and flicked the lights off, he had already turned the lamp on so she could still make her way to the bed. 

“I am so knackered.” She jumped in bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin. “I feel like I could sleep for a week straight.” 

“Pretty sure I’ve seen you do that before, so I wouldn’t be surprised.” Niall was rewarded by a kick to the shin. 

While yawning she asked, “Any plans for tomorrow?” 

“Just going for drinks with Liam after work. He’s been a bit lonely since Louis moved.” 

“Aw. Poor guy.” 

“I know. What about you? Working?” 

“Yeah, but not a double, thankfully. I have that followup meeting with Jonah and then my shift starts at five.” 

“What time is your meeting with him?” 

“Ten.” 

“Wanna get lunch together after?” 

“Sure. I can just come to the office if you want.”

Niall seemed surprised, “It’s not gross?”

Kit shrugged, “It might not be as bad as I always make it out to be.” 

He threw his head back in laughter, “I knew it!” 

“Yeah, yeah. Just turn that lamp off so I can go to sleep.” 

As soon as he did, she rolled over and draped her arm over his chest. Niall stayed up a little longer scrolling through social media, but it didn’t take long for her breathing to even out and her muscles to relax. Carefully, Niall put his phone on his bedside table and gave her forehead a kiss before he attempted sleep for himself. 

Anna Katherine arrived at the coffee shop before Jonah, which gave her plenty of time to order her drink and find them a table. She ended up outside, and despite the fact that it was February, it was comfortably warm. The barista brought out her coffee around the same time Jonah showed up with the same canvas backpack he had in college. 

He smiled when he saw her, “Hi, there. You good if I go grab a coffee?” 

“Yeah,” She nodded. “Take your time. No rush.” 

He placed the backpack in the chair across from her and then ducked inside the building. It didn’t take him long to come back with his classic black coffee and two chocolate croissants. She raised an eyebrow, “Two?” 

He slid one over to her, “Knew this was your favorite. Figured we could both have a snack during this meeting.” 

Hesitantly, she grabbed the plate. “Uh, thanks.” 

He watched her over the brim of the mug as he took a sip, “I feel like I should apologize.” 

Anna Katherine thought that he should be apologizing for a lot of things, but all she said was, “Oh?” 

“I wasn’t very professional last meeting, and no matter what’s taken place between us in the past, I shouldn’t have acted the way I did.” 

She squinted at him, suspicious. “Really?” 

He laughed, “Yes. I’m not a complete monster all of the time, Anna Kay.” 

Hearing his nickname for her was a punch in the gut with a rush of memories flooding her mind. She did her best to look unaffected, though. “Well, thanks.” 

Jonah pulled out his computer and her portfolio. “The team and client went over all of your stuff, and they were all as impressed as they should’ve been.” 

When he smiled again, she found herself smiling back this time. “That’s good to hear.” 

“Between you and I, anyone who isn’t blown away by your work is a damn idiot.”

She surprised both of them by laughing and when she calmed, he said, “I mean it.” 

“Yeah, I know.” 

Jonah went on to show her the vision board for the project, and while he talked, she ate her chocolate croissant. Anna Katherine nodded along and gave her input on a few ideas. At one point, she was moving her hands around so much that she nearly spilled her coffee everywhere, and would have too if Jonah hadn’t caught it. They had a good laugh about it before getting back to work. 

“Anna Kay.” 

She looked up from tearing a bite off of the croissant. “Yeah?” 

“Do you remember that night after the team miraculously won the bowl game our junior year and–” 

She lit up, “And we went to the mural downtown?” 

“Yes! And we took all those ridiculous photos, and it was just the best night ever?” 

“You want me to recapture that night?” 

He pointed his finger at her, “Still able to read my mind.” 

They shared another smile and talked a few more minutes before wrapping things up. They started to pack up and as they were headed their separate ways, Jonah went in for a hug. For a moment, she froze, completely unsure how she felt or whether or not this was okay. In the end, she hugged him back with a snarky, “Oh, we’re back to hugging?” 

When they pulled away, he said, “A handshake didn’t feel like us.” 

She chuckled, “Yeah, I suppose.” 

They said their final goodbyes, and then Anna Katherine was off to pick up her and Niall’s lunch. 

Niall was once again waiting for her when the elevator doors opened. She laughed, “Mike?” 

“Of course.” He took the food from her, “C’mon, we can eat in my office today.”

He made sure Kit was following him before going past the front desk and walking through all the cubicles. 

“Where are we going?” 

He looked over his shoulder, “My office, silly.”

They kept walking and when he opened his door to the office, Kit stood in the doorway giving him a bizarre look. “This isn’t your office.” 

“Uh,” Niall looked around as he sat the food on his desk. “Pretty sure it is.” 

“Last time I came up here to meet you, you were in a cubicle!” She stepped the rest of the way in, letting the door slam behind her, and spun around. 

He chuckled and scratched his jaw, “Yeah, well, I’ve had a promotion since we’ve eaten in the office last.” 

“Niall!” 

“Kit!” When she gave him a look, he laughed. “I thought we were just screaming each other’s names.” 

“I would say I hate you, but I’m too proud of you right now. This is amazing! Why didn’t you tell me?”

He motioned with his head for her to come over to his desk so they could start eating. “It just didn’t come up.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Right. Somehow your poop schedule comes up in conversation naturally, but this doesn’t.” 

“Bowel movements are very important, Kit.” 

“They’re disgusting, and knowing your schedule is too much information for me.” 

He handed her the extra ketchup and mustard, “You’re my wife. Gotta get used to it.” 

“Fine, you gotta get used to my periods then.” 

“As if I already don’t know your cycle or buy your pads and tampons for you and listen to you moan about the curses of womanhood.” 

She glared. 

“Moving on from this lovely conversation. How was the meeting with Jonah?” 

“It was better than the first.” 

He watched as she popped a fry in her mouth, “Yeah?” 

She nodded. “He started it off with what I assume was a peace offering in the form of a chocolate croissant because,” She deepened her voice to mock him, “ _ I know it was your favorite.” _

“But that’s not your favorite. It’s banana bread.”  __

She seemed amused, “Yes, Niall. My favorite pastry is now banana bread.” 

“So he doesn’t actually know your favorite.” 

She laughed, “Why are you so stuck on this? Of course you know my favorite things better than him. You live with me.” 

Niall didn’t really want to dissect why that had bothered him so much, so he took a sip of his drink and motioned for Kit to go on with her story. 

“He went over the vision board and we came up with a plan. I’m actually really excited about it. You remember that mural we went to that one night where we took all those pictures?” 

Niall’s stomach twisted, “Uh, yeah.” 

“Jonah wants me to recreate that night since it was such a memorable night.” 

That night wasn’t necessarily one of his favorites to think back on. His breakup with Vivian was still fresh, and it was a night that truly reiterated how in love Jonah and Kit had been. Something he had thought he had with Vivian for all those years, and then he was left with nothing. The pictures were good, though. He had one as his profile picture until they graduated. 

“Those pictures were really good.” 

“Right?” She smiled. “And then at the end he hugged me, and it wasn’t nearly as awful as I thought it would be.” 

That, out of it all, surprised him the most. “Did you want to be hugged?” 

She shrugged, oblivious to how the need to protect her consumed him. “Not necessarily, but once it happened, it’s not like I minded.” 

Niall didn’t say anything in response, and that’s what caused her to look up at him. 

“What?” 

He took her in, trying to find answers when he wasn’t even sure what the questions were. “You know I just worry.” 

She gave him a soft, lopsided smile. “And you know you don’t have to. I’m a big girl. He won’t hurt me again.” 

“And you know, regardless of whatever else is going on, I’m always going to worry about you.” 

“Which is truly ridiculous.” 

“Not on my end.” 

“Good thing I love you, huh?” 

He forced a chuckle, “Yeah, lucky me.” 

“Oh!” She poked his leg, “Don’t forget we have that family dinner coming up.” 

“It’s at ours this time, right?” 

“Yep.” 

“Hopefully it goes better than the last one we hosted.” 

She snorted, “One can only hope.” 

Anna Katherine was surprised by how smoothly family dinner had started off. Patricia wasn’t being over the top, her dad and Niall were having a nice conversation about something she was not paying attention to, and Alex was, well, being himself. She should’ve known that as soon as she started to relax, things would go awry. 

She was getting the food out of the oven when she heard her mother ask, “Alex, did you invite your boyfriend to family dinner tonight?” 

She froze, immediately wondering who she was talking about. 

“Uh, who?” 

“Harry! Who else.” 

She peeked her head around the corner to watch Alex stumble over his response, “Oh, right. Yes. My boyfriend. Harry. No, I did not invite him. We’re taking things slow.” 

“I see.” Patricia sounded amused, “Well, it’s a good thing I did.” 

Alex choked, “You did what?!” 

“Honestly, Alex, you’re acting like your sister. Try to pull yourself together.” Patricia rolled her eyes, “He’s your boyfriend. I don’t see the problem.” 

“The problem,” Anna Katherine said as she walked to the table with the food. “Is that you place yourself in the middle of all of our relationships and don’t even consider our side of it.” 

“And there she is. My loving daughter who would never be over dramatic.” 

She dropped the dish in the middle of the table, “I wonder who I got it from.” 

“If you’re implying you got it from me then…” 

“Well I certainly didn’t get it from Dad!” 

She heard Niall snicker, and then her dad turned his attention to them, “What? What didn’t you get from me?” 

“Her dramatics, apparently.” Patricia answered. 

There was a knock on the door, and then Harry came prancing through the door and into the kitchen. “Hello, my lovely family.” 

Anna Katherine tried not to laugh as she watched as Harry continued to prance right over to Alex and plant an obnoxiously loud and wet kiss on his cheek, “Hi.” 

Alex grinned, “You could’ve warned me, your boyfriend, that you were coming.” 

“I thought it would be sweet to surprise you.” 

Alex patted his stomach which was bare since his ridiculously printed shirt was nearly entirely unbuttoned for the whole world to see. “We’ll talk about your need for surprises later. Right now we need to discuss your fashion choices.” 

Patricia cut in, “He looks fine, Alexander. Leave the poor boy alone.” 

Alex and Anna Katherine gaped at each other in both shock and annoyance. 

“Mom! What is with you thinking that our significant others are perfect? If I would wear something like that, you’d ground me. And I don’t even live under your roof anymore!” 

Patricia gave Anna Katherine a patronizing look, “Would you rather me not like them? I can easily start acting as if I hate them.” 

“I think it’s high time we start to eat.” Timmy tried to smooth things out. 

“Now, Patty. You know you could never hate me. Even if it was an act.” Harry reached over and gave her hand a pat. 

“I cannot believe this.” Anna Katherine muttered. 

Niall put his arm around her shoulders and leaned close to whisper, “Just remember that Harry is our friend.” 

“At this point, he’s your friend. Not mine.” 

Before Niall could respond, her dad said, “With all the wedding excitement, I didn’t get a chance to ask. How did the two of you start dating?” 

If possible, Patricia seemed excited about this. “Oh! What a wonderful question. Yes, boys, please tell us.” 

“You know, it wasn’t anything special. We just… you know. And now we’re…” 

Harry placed a hand on his shoulder, “Don’t worry. I’ll tell it. We all know I’m the better storyteller anyway. Patricia, Dr. Timmy, it all started the night our Baby Niall came to us wanting to propose to Kit.” 

“Why am I Baby Niall?”

Timmy glanced at Niall, “Wait, Niall asked Alex permission to propose?” 

Harry scoffed, “Oh, no. He was just informing us of his plan and threatened to egg both of our houses if we interrupted the lovely night he had planned. So there we were. Alone. Watching Netflix.” 

“Was this a Netflix and Chill moment?” 

“Patricia!” Anna Katherine gasped, “That’s not what you think it means!” 

“No chilling took place, Patty. Anyway, the tension was building between us. I knew how I felt towards my precious Alexander, but he was a bit slow coming to terms with all of it. You all know how these Tran siblings can be.” 

“Unfortunately.” Patricia gave Anna Katherine a piercing glance, and Niall snorted. 

“We were watching that movie… Oh, what was it, Alex? That one rom-com you love.” 

“Uh… I…” 

“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, smack dab in the middle of the movie – completely ruining the ambience of the story – your son decides to ask me out. Right then. In the middle of a movie! Can you believe? Anyway, I said yes and here we are.” 

Timmy nodded, “That was, uh, quite the story, Harry.” 

He preened, “Thank you, sir.” 

Alex popped a bite of bread in his mouth, “Now that the story is out of the way, can we please eat?” 

The rest of the table nodded in agreement, and finally, the food was served, and Anna Katherine spooned a large portion of asparagus onto her plate. 

“I see you’re eating asparagus.” Patricia felt the need to point out. 

She glanced at her plate and then up at her mother, “Yes?” 

“Is that because it helps boost your fertility rate?” 

“Mother!” 

“Mom! I don’t want to hear about my sister’s fertility!” 

Niall swooped in, “You know we’re waiting, Patty.” 

“And weren’t you just on my side about the baby thing at Thanksgiving?” 

Patricia scoffed, “That was months ago–” 

“Barely three.” 

“Times have changed.”

“What could have possibly changed in three months!”

“I have found the name I want my grandchildren to call me.” 

“What in the world.” 

“Mom, that’s…” 

Harry leaned in curiously, “And what name is that?” 

“Gigi! And Timmy here will be Pops.”

Alex and Anna Katherine groaned. 

Harry completely ignored them. “Oh, Gigi and Pops! I love it.” 

“Thank you, Harry.” 

Timmy hummed, “Good to know I had a say in this, dear.” 

Patricia waved him off, “You would’ve told me you didn’t care anyway.” 

“Don’t worry, Dr. Timmy. I think it’s a great name.” 

Anna Katherine glared, “Harold–” 

“Not my name.” 

“–Stop encouraging her.” 

Niall gripped her knee, “As much as we’re thrilled that you decided on what you want to be called, I still think Kit and I have a few things we want to do before we pop one out.” 

She nearly choked, “Pop one out?” 

“I’m on your side, don’t nitpick my word choices.” He whispered to her, and then to her parents, “But as soon as we decide to try, everyone at this table will be the first to know.” 

Anna Katherine tried to hide her annoyance towards Niall. 

Harry perked up, “Even me?” 

“No.” 

“Yes.”

“Thanks,  _ Niall.”  _ Harry glared at Anna Katherine, “I have nothing to say to you.” 

“Good.” 

“Fine.” 

“Okay, then.” 

“Well,” Timmy cleared his throat. “On that lovely note, we need to start planning our family trip to the mountains.” 

Anna Katherine had never been more thankful for her father than in that moment. 

Niall was brushing his teeth when Kit showed up in the bathroom doorway with arms crossed over her chest, “Why would you say that?” 

The toothbrush dangled from his mouth, “Huh?” 

“That we’d tell them when we’d start trying! I don’t want my entire family to know when I’m in my fertile window or when we’re having sex to try to create a small and tiny human!” 

He spat in the sink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “What?” 

“Niall!” 

“What!” 

Kit took a deep breath, “You told my parents, Alex, and  _ Harry  _ that we would tell them when we were trying for a baby, which means when we’re boning. During my fertile window. Niall!” 

He gave her an incredulous look. 

“Just how far are we taking this sham of a marriage!” 

“Can we go back real quick to you saying boning?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you’re ridiculous. They’ll know when we’re making love. Doing the deed. What else would you like for me to call it?”

“Just...sex?” 

She huffed, and spun on her heel to go to the bedroom, “That’s boring.” 

Niall followed her. “I still don’t understand what the problem is.” 

She got in the bed and grabbed a pillow to scream into. 

“Uh, that’s my pillow.” 

She threw it at him with a glare, “I am so mad at you right now.” 

“I still don’t know why.” 

There was another sigh. “It’s the principle of the thing, Niall. You promised my parents something that we both know will never happen.” 

Thinking it was safe, he got in bed next to her. “What do you mean? You don’t want the Horan Supreme? I’m sure we can special order it for a hands special.”

She slapped his arm and screeched, “Niall!” 

He threw his head back laughing, and when he looked at her again her cheeks were tinted pink. “Kit, are you  _ blushing?”  _

“I hate you, Niall Horan.” She huffed as she plopped down and turned her back to him. 

“I know you, and I know when you say that you actually mean love.” 

“Fuck off.” 

Her back stayed facing him as he slid underneath the covers, “What? No cuddling tonight?” 

“In your dreams.” 

He laughed again, “Love you too, Kit.” 

“Game night is my favorite night. Why don’t we do it more often?” Harry came in carrying a tray full of nachos with what looked like more toppings than actual chips. 

“Because Nat and Kit are too competitive.” Alex answered, swiping a nacho from Harry and popping it in his mouth. 

Nat looked offended, “We are not!”

“You came very close to actually keying my car the last game night.” Harry said completely straight faced. “Niall had to confiscate your keys while Alex blocked you.”

Anna Katherine remembered that night all too well and did her best to hide her laugh from Nat. “I think a more accurate statement would be Nat is too competitive. I’m a normal amount competitive.” 

“You cried.” 

“I was on my period and have no regrets.” 

Nat huffed, “I still stand by the fact that you were cheating, Harry.” 

He puffed out his chest, “I’ve never cheated a day in my life.” 

Niall snickered, “Sure, tell that to Angie and Renee.” 

“That was a misunderstanding and you know it, Niall.” 

Nat leaned forward, suddenly very intrigued, “I need more information on this.” 

Harry let out a long breath, “Apparently Angie thought we were dating. I don’t know why or how. I promise I typically don’t lead people on. But then I went to a party with Renee – please keep in mind this was early college and I was a completely different human – and things, well, happened. Anyway, Angie found out and broke up with me even though I wasn’t aware of us being exclusive.” 

“Mate,” Liam had a look of utter confusion, “How do you not know you were dating someone?”

Harry shrugged, “I am genuinely baffled by that entire situation to this day.” 

“So,” Alex sat on the last empty seat, “What game are we playing tonight? Scrabble was the last, so my vote is taboo or fish bowl.” 

Harry, who had still been standing in the middle of the room, quickly perched himself on Alex’s lap. “Fish bowl gets dangerous.” 

Alex wrapped his arms around Harry and leaned his head against his back. “But that’s what makes it so fun. Let’s put it to a vote.” 

When Harry asked who wanted to play taboo, no one raised their hands. “Fish bowl it is.” 

“Aw, don’t be so disappointed, H.” Alex planted a kiss on his shoulder, “At least fish bowl has a taboo round.” 

When Harry kissed his cheek, Nat groaned. “Why are the two of you like this?” 

Harry turned to her with raised eyebrows, “Like what?” 

She wordlessly motioned to the two of them. 

Alex laughed, “We’re kicking toxic masculinity in the ass.” 

“Okay but there’s that, and then there’s… whatever the hell the two of you are.” 

Harry winked, “I know you’re just jealous.” 

Nat scoffed, “Sure. In your dreams.” 

“More like in yours. I know you dream about me, Nat.” 

She threw a pencil at him. “You’re the worst. What are the teams? I don’t care as long as I’m not with him.” 

Kit patted Niall’s knee, “Ni and I want to be on the same team.” 

“No way!” Liam shook his head. “Married couples on the same team would be cheating.” 

“No matter which way we divide up the teams, someone is going to know someone else really well.” Niall pointed out. “You might as well let Kit and I be on the same team.” 

Harry shook his head, “Nope. Liam has a point. You and Kit know each other too well. How about we do the Americans versus The Brits–” 

“Excuse you.” 

“Oh yeah. The Brits and the Irishman.” 

Niall and Kit looked at each other and shrugged, “Fine.” 

The next argument happened over the team names while Liam was in the bathroom. 

Nat glared at Harry, “You cannot name yourselves the Winning Wookies!” 

“You don’t even like that name! What do you care?” Harry threw up his hands, exasperated with the woman standing in front of him. 

“I might hate it, but the Winning Wookies will always be us four.” She waved to him, Niall, and Anna Katherine. “Liam was never a part of that!” 

Anna Katherine was leaning against the chair that her brother and Harry were still sitting in, waiting for the argument to end so they could get on with the game. 

Alex looked up at her, “Why am I friends with children?” 

“Hey!” She poked his shoulder, “I’m not a child. I’m a married woman.” 

He laughed, “To a man that only asked so he wouldn’t get kicked out of the country.” 

Niall, who had apparently been listening from the couch grimaced, “Ouch.” 

“Alex! Liam might hear you.” 

“Relax. He’s in the bathroom.” 

“Fine!” Harry stood up, “We won’t be the Winning Wookies!” 

Nat seemed pleased, “That’s all I ask.” 

“You’re impossible.” 

“And you love it.” 

Anna Katherine looked between Harry and Nat, “Wait, what just happened?” 

Alex shrugged, “I’m not sure we want to know.” 

They started with fictional characters as their category. They all wrote two names of a character on pieces of paper, and then Anna Katherine went around collecting them and putting them in a bowl from the kitchen. The other team went first, and during their one minute they were able to get five correct with Niall’s hints. 

Anna Katherine went next, and when she grabbed the first slit of paper she smiled, thinking this was going to be easy. 

“Alright,” She looked up at Alex and Nat, “This is from one of my favorite movies and books, but this person isn’t one of the main characters.” 

Alex leaned around Harry, “Maverick?” 

“No, he’s a main character! Um, he’s part of a trilogy. Sam Claflin plays him. Deserves the world but receives death.” 

“Oh, I know!” 

Someone throws a shoe at Niall, “Shut up! Don’t help them.” 

“Sam Claflin?” Nat looked confused, “I was going to say Donkey.” 

She hesitated, “Would he be a main character?” 

“I, uh, don’t know. C’mon, Kit!” 

“Oh, yeah! So, he acts like an over confident ass, but has a heart of gold. Helps someone else I love through PTSD.” 

“Can I please help them?” Niall asked. 

Liam and Harry shouted no simultaneously. 

“Skip it!” 

She threw it down and went for another, “Uh, okay. A dinosaur and we watched this growing up, Alex.” 

“Little Foot!” 

“Finally,” She went to grab another one, and recognized Nat’s handwriting, “You wrote this one.” 

“William Herondale!” 

“Who the hell even is that?” 

“Shut up, Harry!” 

As she went to grab another, “Okay, another one of my favorites. Disney sidekick. Honor.” 

“Oh, it’s M–” 

“Shut up, Niall!” 

Nat’s eyes widened, “Mushu!” 

She went for one more, but the timer went off.

Liam and Harry turned on Niall, “You’re a traitor!” 

“I didn’t do anything!” 

“You helped with that last one!” 

“I did not. I didn’t even finish his name. Besides, they’re still down by two.” 

They went on to finish the first round. When they began the second, Anna Katherine and her team were still down, and it wasn’t looking like it would change any time soon. At one point when Liam was doing the password round, Niall leaned over, “We would’ve dominated.” 

“How is it that you know me better than my brother and best friend?” 

He smirked, “I’m your husband.” 

“Niall!” Harry yelled, “Stop flirting and help me!” 

By the third round, Anna Katherine had already accepted defeat and Nat was fuming. “I can’t believe we’re losing.” 

She shrugged, “You’re the one that didn’t get any of my hints.” 

“How was I supposed to guess Finnick!” 

“It was literally the easiest one.” When Nat just glared, Anna Katherine added, “Niall figured it out quite quickly.” 

“Oh, shut up.” 

Niall drove them home that night, and when he pulled into the store parking lot Kit looked at him confused. 

He shrugged, “Figured you could use some ice cream to soften the blow of losing game night.” 

Kit leaned over and pecked his cheek, “I would be mad, but I’m getting free ice cream.” She smiled at him and hopped out of the car. 

When he came in front of the car where she was waiting for him, she took his hand and started swinging their arms back and forth as they made their way inside. 

They went straight to the freezer section, and when Niall reached for her mint chocolate chip he said, “Oh, don’t forget that our interview is next month.” 

Kit threw her head back and groaned, “I’d forgotten all about that.” 

He grabbed a pint for himself and started ushering her back to the front of the shop. “Figured. I really don’t think the questions will be hard for us though, but just in case I’ll print the questions off for us to go over later this week.” 

“You never told me our marriage was going to be this much work, Ni.” 

“Pretty sure I did.” 

“Marriage is overrated.” 

He laughed, “C’mon. Let’s get you home so you can mope into your ice cream.” 

“The best way to mope.”

When she leaned against him, he wrapped his arm around her. 

When Kit told Niall she was planning their date night this week, he assumed they were just going to have a night in. Maybe she’d cook one of her favorite and easy meals. They’d watch a movie on Netflix, with her cuddling against him no doubt, and then they’d go to bed. He wasn’t expecting to walk into their apartment to find candles lit, a bouquet of flowers on their table, and romantic music playing from somewhere in the kitchen. 

“Uh, Kit?”

Her head popped around the corner, and he was pretty sure she was wearing an apron. “You’re home!” 

He dumped his bag on the couch and nudged one of the candles with his finger, “What is all of this?” 

She ducked back in the kitchen, “Setting the mood for our date night!” 

“The mood.” 

“Yes.” She came back with a chilled glass and a beer. “You didn’t forget did you?” 

He took the glass from her, “Uh, no. But…” He looked around, “I just wasn’t expecting you to go all out.” 

She smiled, “I’m full of surprises, Mr. Horan.” 

He took a sip of his beer and ran a hand through his hair before muttering, “Tell me about it.” 

He followed her back into the kitchen, “Are you cooking?” 

She scoffed, “Of course not.” 

He was about to ask what they were eating if she wasn’t cooking, but there was a knock on the door, and Kit was rushing to answer it. She came back with two boxes of pizza. She proudly handed one to him, “One meat supreme pizza for you, and a cheese for me.” 

He laughed and pulled her into a one arm hug, “You’re something else.” 

“I know.” 

At Kit’s insistence, they ate at the table, and before she joined him, she brought him another beer and poured herself a glass of wine. A part of him felt like it should be awkward, especially after what happened at the New Year’s party, but it wasn’t. They talked about their days and what they had planned for the rest of the week, about their bills and Kit’s photography jobs. They laughed and they talked and Niall didn’t think he could feel any more content than he did in that moment. 

When Kit brought him yet another beer and poured herself another glass he found himself saying, “We probably shouldn’t drink too much.” 

She looked at him like he was insane, “What? Why?” 

“At least when we’re alone. The last time…” 

She threw her head back with a groan, “Niall, don’t be ridiculous. We’re literally married.” 

“Yeah, but there are lines we shouldn’t cross.” 

“I think it’s too late for that.” 

“We didn’t really cross it. We just… toed it.” 

“Toed it? C’mon. There’s no rule against what we did.” 

“Kit.” He gave her a flat look, “We literally signed a list of rules where one of them said no sexual intimacy with one another.” 

“Oh, come off it, Niall! Making out is not  _ sexual intimacy. _ ” 

He just stared at her until she sighed, “Fine. We’ll both behave, okay? Party pooper.” 

Niall didn’t want to think about the fact that he had already broken the rule on falling in love with her. He was already struggling with understanding where they stood with each other. If they blurred even more lines, he wasn’t sure how he would be able to handle it. 

“Just trying to protect our friendship, Kit-Kat.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” She took another bite of her pizza. “Whatever you say.” 

His heart thumped against his chest, and he wondered if he had made a mistake telling her that they shouldn’t cross certain lines. But then he remembered how heavy his heart had felt the day after the party, and he resigned himself to the fact that as much as he wanted that again, as much he wanted  _ her _ , he had made the right decision. 

Getting reactions from her brother after saying ridiculous things was one of Anna Katherine’s favorite hobbies. Sometimes the ridiculous things turned more inappropriate, but as long as there was a laugh in it for her, she didn’t care. Alex should really expect anything from her by now. It’s his own fault that she still does this for his reactions. 

“I want to have sex with my husband.” She announced before his apartment door was completely shut. “How can we make this happen?” 

The water that had been in Alex’s mouth now splattered the front of his shirt and the floor. “Why do you continually try to end my life early?” 

She shrugged as she dumped her purse and jacket on his floor and sat on the other end of the couch, “It’s fun.” 

“You’re evil.” 

“Enough banter. Back to the topic at hand. Niall and me and sex.” 

Alex squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t you have Nat for these types of talks?” 

“But you’re my big brother. You’re supposed to give me advice. Lead me through life. Let me step in your footprints.” 

“Yes. And I do. I showed you how to do your taxes by yourself, and I helped you learn how to change a tire and check your oil. Sex is not on the list of things siblings should lead each other through.” 

Anna Katherine pouted, “You’re no fun.” 

Alex slowly, as if worried she’d say something else, took another sip of water. “That being said, I do want all the latest gossip of this little romantic comedy you two have going on.” 

“It is not a rom-com.” 

“Your life currently has the plot of at least two-fourths of them.” 

“That’s half.” 

“I said what I said.” 

Anna Katherine laughed, “Alright then. What are we doing tonight?” 

“Movie and dinner? Dinner and a movie? What movies are even out?” 

She lifted a finger, “Please hold while I pull up the app.” 

Niall woke up to once again being straddled by Kit. Judging by the smirk on her face, she was very much aware of how his body was reacting to waking up to the sight of her on him. 

“Well, someone’s happy this morning.” 

His eyes fell shut with a groan when she wiggled against him, “Kit…” 

She laughed and hopped off of him, “C’mon. You’re coming with me today.” 

He kept his eyes closed. “Where are we going?” 

“Taking pictures for the Jonah job.”

He opened his eyes then, only to find her only in a bra as she slipped on one of his shirts. “You’re ruining me.” 

She smirked at him over her shoulder, looking a little too proud of herself for his liking. “Feeling’s mutual, Ni.” 

Niall didn’t think it was mutual at all. At least, not to the extent that he meant it. He was in love with his best friend, only he couldn’t tell her because he asked her to marry him in order not to get deported. Their situation was so confusing that he no longer knew what was a facade and what was real. For the most part, he knew the parts he was faking, which were limited and few. Kit, though. She was a different story. She was playful and teasing and where Niall used to be able to see through the many masks she wore, he was suddenly having trouble understanding the reasons behind most of her actions. 

What was simply Kit? What was an act for Kit? What was the heart she hid so well from the world? 

“I’ll go start the coffee.” She tied her hair back and grabbed one of his hats to wear, “Don’t take too long. I want to get going before it gets too crowded.” 

He flopped an arm over his face and wondered what he could have possibly done to deserve this type of torture. 

It didn’t take him long to get dressed, and when he went to the kitchen where Kit was eating dry cereal he asked, “Why do you always take my Saturdays away from me?” 

She looked smug, “You married me. This is what you get.” 

He thought back to all the other weekends she had dragged him across the city for one reason or another even before he was being threatened to be deported. “I feel like this was already part of my life before the marriage.” 

“Fine.” She huffed, “You chose to be my friend five and some years ago. This is what you get.” 

He poured himself coffee in the togo mug she had gotten out for him and took a sip before saying, “Can I get a refund?” 

She laughed and slid off the counter, “As if I’d ever let that happen. You’re stuck with me, pal.” 

They went to the mural first, and when Kit shoved him in front of it and told him to pose, he glared at her. “You never said I’d be forced to be in your pictures.” 

“You’re my muse, Niall. Now suck it up and look pretty.” 

He, of course, did as she wanted, and after a few minutes they were both laughing and doing one ridiculous pose after another. Eventually Kit set the timer on her camera, and Niall pulled her in front of the mural with him. He lifted her up and spun her around, and his stomach swooped when gravity pulled her down his body. There was a moment where she was still flushed against him, standing on her toes, and looking up at him, where he thought he could see the same emotions he felt mirrored in her features, but when they disappeared, Niall knew he had imagined it all. 

Anna Katherine began editing the photos as soon as they got back to the apartment after grabbing lunch together. The mural pictures were as wonderful as she had expected, and after clicking through them a few times, she went and found the original mural pictures in one of her old folders. She found them easily enough, and looking back at the pictures made her crave for the simplicity life had during those days. They were in college and free and their worries only stretched to the end of each term. And she was in love. She clicked on what had once been one of her favorite photos of her and Jonah, and the longing for something that had once been never surged back to the surface. 

She zoomed in on her own face, and stared for a moment. She had once thought that she had looked completely and utterly in love at that moment, but now she wasn’t so sure. She had definitely been enamored, but she didn’t see the love that she had been so certain was there. 

Her heart began to beat faster as she pulled up her favorite picture of her and Niall from earlier that day. She was leaning against him and gazing up at him and… 

Her throat felt tight. She slammed her computer shut, stuffed it in her bag, and ran out of the door. 

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Niall called after her as she ran to put on her shoes and grab her keys. 

“Uh, Nat’s.” And then she was slamming the door shut and racing off to see her best friend. 

As soon as she was in Nat’s living room, she took her computer back out, opened it, and shoved it in Nat’s face. 

“What do you see?” 

Nat looked at her like she was insane, but Anna Katherine couldn’t find it in her to comment on it. Her heart was beating too frantically for her to concentrate on anything else. 

“Uh, I see you and Niall?” 

She shook the computer, “What else?” 

“The mural we all went to that one time?” 

“And?” 

Nat was exasperated, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be seeing, Kit. All I see is you and Niall being you and Niall!” 

Anna Katherine zoomed in on her face and placed the computer on Nat’s lap before falling on the couch. “What do you see now?” 

Nat eyes her wearily before looking back at the photo, “I see you looking at Niall like you always do.”

“I look like I’m in love with him, Nat.” 

She was staring at the ceiling, but she could feel Nat’s eyes on her, “I thought we’d already been over this?” 

“No.” She shook her head, “I had  _ thought  _ I was in love with him. There was no certainty. But this,” she points to the picture, “Is the look of someone completely and utterly in love with the person they are looking at. That girl is completely in love with that boy.” 

“Right.” 

“Niall doesn’t do relationships. His only long lasting relationship was with Vivian who he dated for five years or something, and she completely shattered him. Ruined him. Broke him.  _ Destroyed _ him. He’s never done a relationship since.” 

“That also happened five years ago. He could be over it for all you know.” 

“I know everything about him. He hasn’t even attempted to have a relationship.” 

“That might be because he’s now married,” Nat gave her a careful look, “To you.” 

“But even before then. He’s never even talked about wanting to settle down.” 

“Ever thought that’s because he has you?” 

“We’re friends, Natalie.” She took the computer back from her, “And now I’m ruining it all with these stupid emotions.” 

“Kit–” 

She cut Nat off, “You know what? It’s probably just because of the wedding, you know? All the acting and pretending and lying. It’s just making me confused. This entire situation is making me think that I’m in love with him, but really he’s just Niall and I’m just Kit and that’s all we’ll ever be.” 

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say here.” 

“Just tell me I’m right.” 

“You’re right. This is all just you being confused.” 

“Thank you.” 

Niall and Anna Katherine were both on the floor. Niall resting his head on Fox’s bed, and Anna Katherine’s on his stomach. He was reading over the possible questions that the interviewer might ask them while she scrolled through facebook. 

“I really think we know most of these answers.” She heard him rustle the papers, probably going to the next page. 

“Like what?”

“One is how did we meet, which we’re sticking to our original story as close as possible, so easy. College.” 

“More specifically, my ex-boyfriend.” 

He laughed, “Right. There are also questions about our wedding, which we were both there for. Again, easy. And then questions about our daily life.” 

“Daily life?”

“Yeah, like…” More rustling of pages, “How we start our day.” 

“You wake up at the asscrack of dawn and make the coffee before getting ready for work. I stay in bed until I see fit and then drink the coffee you so carefully made for me hours beforehand.” 

“Unless it’s a Saturday, and then you rudely wake me up and refuse to allow me to sleep in.” 

“And on Sundays, we’re lazy.” 

“And you make the coffee.” 

She smiled, “Have we always been so predictable?” 

“Haven’t a clue. How often do we talk when we’re not together?” 

“Like not together during the day or when you go home?” 

“Dunno. Both?” 

“We text pretty constantly throughout the day, don’t we?” 

“Yeah, you’re almost always at the top of my messages.” 

“But do we talk on the phone?” 

He hesitated, “I think we only really facetime when I go to Ireland. So, no. Not often. Who cooks and who cleans?” 

“I hate cooking, but I do most of the cleaning.” 

“Look at us go. We didn’t even need any practice. Alright, there could potentially be several about kids.”

“Kids?” 

“Yeah. Do we have any? No.”

“Excuse you, do not forget about Fox. Our lovely first born.” 

He snorted, “Fine. We’ll mention her. How many kids do we want?” 

“I–” 

“–You change your mind depending on your mood. You either want to adopt a hoard of children or you only want two.” 

She huffed and turned so she could look at him, “How do you even know that?” 

He shrugged, “I pay attention.” 

“Well, how many do you want?” 

“At most, three. But I don’t want a middle child with all that middle children drama, ya know? So I would prefer one or two.” 

“That’s at odds with my apparent want of a hoard.” 

He laughed, “I’m sure our love is strong enough to endure our difference of opinions.” 

Niall reached down and ran his fingers through her hair. Anna Katherine closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of it. “Surely there are tough questions they might ask us.” 

“They might ask about our finances. Don’t worry, I’ll do that math and figure it all out.” 

“Thank you very much.” 

His fingers caught on a tangle, and he took his time smoothing it out. “In our independent interviews, they’ll ask us physical questions… like what we look like. Tattoos. All that type of things.” 

“Independent interviews?” 

“Yeah, they’ll separate us for one part of it to see if our questions line up.” 

She groaned, “This is going to be the worst.” 

He intertwined their fingers, “It’s going to be fine, Kit.” 

When he brought her hand up and gave it a reassuring kiss, she wasn’t sure if the uneasiness in her stomach was from the anxiety of the upcoming interviews or Niall. Something told her it was just Niall. 

The thing is, Nat never actively chose to co-parent her best friends with Harry Styles. She never actively chose to become his friend, and she definitely didn’t actively choose to find him attractive. All of those things just seemed to have happened on their own. Yet, somehow here she was actively choosing to drive to Harry’s apartment after a horrendous day at work. She could’ve gone to Kit’s. She usually did in these situations, but she found herself not wanting Kit’s snarky comments that somehow brought her on the brink of laughter. She wanted Harry. Which was a harsh shock to her system altogether. 

The door was unlocked, which meant she didn’t have to waste any time looking under the dead potted plant by his door for the key. She walked in, feeling completely at ease in his space. There was the briefest moment where this caught her off guard, but she pushed that feeling away. 

She dropped her things by the door as she closed it. Harry looked up, already smiling when he saw her. “So Niall and Kit–” 

She shrugged off her jacket and slipped her shirt over her head, already walking towards him. “Shut up. A kid pooped himself today and another threw up. Yet another kid bit me, and you’re going to make me feel good and forget this horrible day or this is all over.” 

When she was standing in front of him, she placed her legs on either side of him with her hands on his shoulders. Harry’s smile turned to a smirk, and those damn dimples were really doing it for her. 

“So you don’t want to talk about Niall or Kit?” 

She shook her head, goosebumps already on her skin where his hands were pressed against her. 

“So does this make us friends with benefits?” 

“We’re not friends so, no. Now shut up and get on with the benefit part of this relationship or I’m leaving.” 

Harry snorted, but quickly did as she’d asked. 


	8. Eighth Commandment

**_The Eighth Commandment: Thou (Kit) Shalt Do My (Niall’s) Laundry_ **

_ “That’s not fair. I hate doing my own laundry.”  _

_ “I’m paying over half of the bills, Kit.”  _

_ “And I’m marrying you to prevent you from being deported.”  _

_ He ignored her, “This includes ironing my work clothes.”  _

_ “I hate you,” She groaned.  _

_ He tutted, “That’s no way to speak to your husband.”  _

* * *

Niall rubbed Kit’s arm. “Your phone is ringing.” 

She snuggled against his side, “No.” 

“Kit.”

“You answer it.” 

With a sigh, he reached over her and grabbed her phone where it sat on the bedside table. “Hello?” 

“Uh, Anna Kay?” 

Niall pulled the phone away to look at the name on the screen. A groan escaped before he could stop it, “Mate, do you have any idea what time it is?” 

Jonah chuckled, “It’s eight. Plenty of people are up this early.” 

“But it’s a Saturday. People don’t work on Saturday.” 

There was a pause, and Niall didn’t like the feeling of it. He liked what Jonah said next even less, “I, uh, I’m not calling for work. Is she there?” 

He looked down at Kit who was still against him with her eyes squeezed shut. “She’s trying to sleep.” 

“C’mon. We both know she’s faking it right now. She’s too nosey for her own good.” 

Niall didn’t bother whispering when he asked Kit, “Do you want to speak to your ass of an ex about something not work related or would you like me to hang up on him?” 

Jonah snorted, “Real nice, Niall.” 

Kit blindly reached for the phone, and Niall placed it in her hand. 

“What? Of course I sound pissed, you woke me up.” 

He was watching when her eyes flew open, “What? Why?” 

He sent her a questioning look, but she ignored him and sat up against their headboard. “Fine. But I’m busy the next two weeks. Yeah, fine. That works. Okay. Bye.” 

She flung her phone to the end of the bed, and slid down so she was lying against him again. He traced patterns on her back where her shirt had risen up. “What did he want?” 

“He wanted to get dinner together. Like, without work.” 

He froze. “So, a date?” 

“No.” She snorted. “Two friends catching up. At least, that’s what he said.” 

“You two were never friends.” 

She patted his stomach, “Don’t overthink this, Niall. I’m still half asleep and don’t have it in me to ease your worries.” 

His fingers started up the patterns on her back again. 

“Let’s just go back to sleep.” 

He held her close against him, “Whatever you want, Kit-Kat.”

Instead of having their respective girl and guy night on Sunday – mainly because Mack had to work and Liam was on a date – the four of them decided to have a night in together at Nat’s. Kit and her were already there, having spent the day together. Niall and Harry were on their way there after spending some time on the golf course. 

“So, hypothetically,” Niall started, “If another man were to ask a married woman out to dinner just to catch up, how should the husband feel?” 

Harry shot him a glance, “Is the other man Jonah?” 

“How’d you know?” 

“It’s not hard to figure out, man.” Harry turned on his blinker to switch lanes, “When did this happen?” 

“Yesterday morning. Woke us both up like a fucking idiot.” 

“I’m sorry,” Harry sounded surprised and risked another glance at him, “both?”

“Yeah, we’ve been sleeping in my bed since the wedding.” 

“That’s five months!” Harry merged into the turing lane, “Mate.” 

“What?” 

“You said you weren’t going to do that anymore after the honeymoon.” 

Niall ignored him, “Can we get back to the topic at hand?” 

“You’re an idiot. But sure. Jonah. What about him?” 

“Am I crazy for being…” He trailed off, unsure how to articulate how he was feeling. 

“Jealous?” 

“I’m not jealous. I’m just… uneasy.” 

“Right,” Harry snorted as he turned onto Nat’s street. “Jonah is her ex, so in a normal situation I feel like the husband has a right to be jealous or uneasy. Whatever you want to call it. But you guys aren’t in a normal situation.” 

“But isn’t it sketchy that he asked a married woman out to dinner?”

“Not necessarily. For all we know, he really does just want to catch up with her.” 

“Yeah, if catching up means fucking her.” 

“Niall.” 

“What?” 

“Jealousy does not suit you.” 

He huffed, “I just don’t understand why she agreed to it. What if she decides she wants to get back with him? What if marrying me has completely derailed her future? I’ve ruined everything.” 

Harry pulled into the spot beside Nat’s car. Once the car was in park, he turned to face Niall. “You didn’t force her to marry you. Kit does what Kit wants. You know this.” 

“Yeah, but she also changes her mind every thirty seconds. Just the other day she told me she wanted to have Thai food for dinner, but by the time we got in the car to go, she wanted hamburgers instead. What if she regrets getting married?” 

“I have it on good authority that she has no regrets regarding this marriage.” 

Niall glared at him, “How?” 

“Her best friend.” 

“I don’t like how much you and Nat talk about us.” 

“You two are our common ground. Deal with it.” 

“What else have you and Nat said?” 

Harry smiled, “Sorry. I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” 

They both unbuckled and got out of the car, but before they headed up to Nat’s door, Harry stopped them. “Is this about you still being upset that Jonah slept with Rachel or is this about you loving Anna Katherine?” 

Niall thought for a moment before answering, “The two are one in the same. I’m over him using the girl I was with to cheat on Kit. What I’m not over is him hurting her.” 

“I think you need to tell her, Niall.”

He shook his head and started up the sidewalk that led to Nat’s apartment, “No way. We’ve been over this.” 

“And I still don’t understand why you’re being stubborn about it.” 

Niall spun around to look at Harry, “Because, both of our emotions are all over the place. It’s fucking hard to pretend to be married and in love with someone you’re not actually married or in love with. Feelings get messy. If I tell her that I love her, how would she know I meant it? And by some God-given miracle she says it back, how am I to know that she means it? If one of us messes this up, our entire friendship is gone.” He took a deep breath, “If she tells me she loves me, and then takes it back… I couldn’t handle that. I wouldn’t be able to go back to how we were before.” 

“I don’t think you’re giving Kit enough credit here.” 

Niall shook his head, “She means too much to me, H. I can’t risk it.” 

“I for one, think love is worth all the risks.” 

“Hey, Harry?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Shut up or I’ll punch you.” 

Harry laughed, “I think I’m going to start interviewing for a new best friend.” 

“I’m sure Alex will jump on this opportunity.” 

“I don’t like grouchy Niall.” 

“I don’t like you.” 

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” 

Nat and Anna Katherine were on the couch doing absolutely nothing, which was their favorite way to spend time together. “What do you think of Mexican for dinner?” 

When Anna Katherine lifted her hand in a thumbs up, Nat smiled. “Perfect. Harry’ll want the veggie taco salad. What do you and Niall want?” 

“He likes the steak fajitas. I guess I’ll get the tamales this time.” 

“Queso?” 

“Is that even a question?” 

Nat laughed, “Point taken.” 

After calling in their order, she gave Anna Katherine a pointed look, “So how are things?” 

She glanced up from her phone, “Things are fine.” 

“How are being-in-love-with-your-platonic-husband things?” 

Anna Katherine shot Nat a dirty look, “Really?” 

“Asking for a concerned friend.” 

“Would this concerned friend accept that I don’t want to talk about it as an answer?” 

“Definitely not.” 

She sighed, “I mean, it’s fine. Nothing has changed except for how I feel. He’s oblivious to it all and thinks all is fine and dandy. Meanwhile, I’m dying a little bit inside every time he touches me.” 

“I’m sure not sleeping in the same bed would help relieve the problem.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She sniffed. 

“Come off it, Kit. You’re good at keeping secrets, but I’m your best friend.” 

“I just like sleeping in his bed better than my own. Sue me.” 

Nat gave her a knowing look, “I wonder why.” 

“Stop looking at me like that.” 

“Fine. I suppose you’re still trying to shove down these emotions and pretend that they’re not happening?” 

“What else could I possibly be doing?” 

“You’re an idiot.” 

“So you keep saying.” 

The guys arrived after the food was delivered, and as Harry and Niall unpacked the food, Harry smirked, “Our girls know us so well, Niall.” 

Nat looked up at the phrase  _ our girls,  _ but Kit seemed to be oblivious to it. She greeted him with a soft smile, and then turned her attention back to her phone. 

Niall gave Harry a questioning look, but didn’t ask. “Yeah, we’re lucky.” When he pulled Kit to his side, she let him. He didn’t think he would ever get tired of the feeling of how well they fit together. 

The four of them gathered around Nat’s coffee table, sitting on the floor with the TV playing some mindless show behind them. Niall hid his smile when he saw Harry grab Nat a fork.

“Where’s my knife?” 

Harry rolled his eyes, “Every time I bring you a knife, you don’t even use it. And then we have to wash it, and it’s just all so pointless.” 

“Harry.” 

“Fine!” 

Niall followed Harry back into the kitchen, and chuckled when he slammed the utensil drawer shut. “Problems in paradise, H?” 

Harry shot him a look, “You’re one to talk.” 

Niall raised his hands, “Woah, hold the fire. I’m your friend.” 

“Friend.” He shoved past him with Nat’s knife, “Sure.” 

Niall let out a full belly laugh and went to the fridge to grab himself a drink. Without thinking, he grabbed one of the bottles of sweet tea for Kit knowing that she’d want it eventually. When he went back to the others, Harry and Nat were still bickering. 

“I just don’t understand why you’re so grumpy.” 

Harry shot her a disbelieving look, “I mean, it’s definitely not the fact that I  _ try  _ to do something nice for you but still get yelled at.” 

“I wasn’t yelling!” 

“What are you doing now!?”

Nat rolled her eyes, “I’m yelling  _ now,  _ but I asked for a knife very calmly.” 

She cut her quesadilla with her fork, the knife laid forgotten beside her plate. “See!” Harry yelled and pointed, “You’re not even using the knife!” 

With a glare, she grabbed the knife and aimlessly cut her food, “Happy now?” 

“Not at all.” 

“You’re impossible.” 

“Learned from the best.” 

The knife went flying past his head. Harry’s eyes went wide as he glanced at the knife now lying on the floor and Nat glaring at him, “Natalie!” 

She waved him off. “It’s a butter knife. Relax.” 

He went to grab the knife off the floor, muttering, “Can’t believe you just tried to murder me.” 

Niall looked between the two of them and then at Kit, who was too busy trying to open her tea to pay much attention to anyone else. “Here.” He grabbed it from her, giving it a twist, before handing it back. 

She smiled up at him, “Thanks.” And then as if just now noticing Harry and Nat, looked around confused, “What happened between them?” 

Niall shrugged, “Just the classic Nat and H bickering.” 

“Our classic bickering doesn’t typically include a knife being thrown in attempted murder.” 

“You’re being dramatic.” 

Kit’s eyes widened, “You threw a knife at him?!” 

“Yes.” 

“At least you admit to assaulting me.” 

“It was a  _ butter  _ knife! It would’ve barely left a bruise.” 

Niall sighed, “It’s always so nice when we all get together.” 

Eventually they all calmed down, and once they finished eating Anna Katherine grabbed all the plates and carried them in the kitchen. She was taking her time washing them when Niall came up behind her and rested his hands on her waist. She leaned against him with a smile on her lips. 

“I’ll dry ‘em.” He let go of her only to grab the dish towel on the counter and began to dry. 

With Niall’s help, it didn’t take long to finish the dishes. Walking back to the living room, she laughed as Niall flicked her with the towel and then chased her to tickle her sides and pull her against him, pressing kisses against her head, ear, and neck. 

She squealed and tried to get away, but his grip around her was too strong. “Niall! Stop it.” 

He laughed, and when she gave one more half hearted shove against him, he let go. “Whatever you want, Kit.” 

She rolled her eyes and turned back around to Nat and Harry who were staring at them. “What?” 

“You two do know that you don’t have to act like a couple in front of us, right? Like,” Nat waved between her and Niall, “We know the truth.” 

Anna Katherine looked back at Niall who just gave her a shrug, “What are you talking about?” 

Harry looked past her at Niall, and after a moment sighed, “Well, Nat, if you were a normal human, you would know that this is just how friends behave.” 

Nat raised her eyebrows at him, “Kit and I have never.” 

“Alex and I do. Niall and Kit obviously do. You and I would if you’d admit we were friends, but no. You’re still refusing to give me such an honor.” 

“I’m going to kick you out and never let you back in.” 

He smirked, “We both know you’d let me back in as soon as I knocked and promised–” 

“Harry!” 

He shrugged, “Just saying.” 

Anna Katherine squinted at the two of them, “Okay, then.” She glanced back at Niall again who seemed more on edge than before, “On that weird note, let’s just get the movie started.” 

Niall looked relieved, “Yes, please.” 

  
  


_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ I want to die.  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ I’d rather you didn’t. _

_ Kit: _ _   
_ _ I’m hiding in the storage room _ _   
_ _ I cant do this anymore _ _   
_ _ Id rather have a slow bleed out  _ _   
_ _ From someone stabbing me in the gut  _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ Why are you hiding in the storage room? _

_ Kit: _ _   
_ _ The customers.  _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ And? _ _   
  
_

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ I havent eaten today.  _ _   
_ _ Creepy Hippie is also here  _ _   
_ _ I even put my wedding ring on to like, scare him off  _ _   
_ _ Did not work. _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ Why haven’t you eaten? _

_ Kit: _ _   
_ _ I wasn’t hungry and then i ran out of time  _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ Anna Katherine.  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ What? It’s fine.  _

_ I’ll just order from the cafe next door.  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ Do you know what time it is? _ _   
_ _ Theyre closed.  _

_ Kit: _ _   
_ _ Then I’ll eat when i get home  _

Anna Katherine pocketed her phone when Niall didn’t immediately text back and braced herself to go back to work. It wasn’t that it was the worst shift she’s ever worked. She was just in a terrible mood, and had been since she woke up that morning. Her mood just got worse when Niall was supposed to come home for lunch, but couldn’t because of a project at work. Then he had to work late, so she wasn’t able to see him before she left for her shift, either. It was raining when she took Fox for her walk, which just added to her dreary mood, and traffic was horrible on her way to work. Work was busier than usual for a Wednesday night, and this guy wouldn’t stop staring at her cleavage, not that she had much, but it was the moral of the thing. 

There was also a small chance that she was hangry, but it was too late for her to do anything about that now. She’ll just have to settle for some debri fries once she gets her break. That is, if it ever slows down enough for her to take one. 

“Tips are shit tonight.” Mack told her as soon as she emerged from her hiding spot. 

“One day we will have better jobs and won’t have to do this. My feet can rest. My hair won’t smell like liquor. I won’t have to rely on tips to survive. It’ll be great.” 

Mack laughed, “Yeah, but you’re married to Niall. You’d be fine even if you quit now and only had your photography job.” 

Anna Katherine scoffed, “I think fine is over-selling it. Besides, I don’t like the idea of stealing Niall’s money.”

“Seriously?” Mack looked at her like she was crazy, “You’re married to the guy. What’s his is yours and yours is his.” 

She froze. Hiding her sham of a wedding from Mack had been mostly easy, but there were times – like just now – where she forgot that Mack didn’t know the truth. “Right. But, you know me, I just like my independence.” 

“Well Miss Independence, why don’t you go see what Creepy Hippie wants tonight. He’s been staring over here ever since you got here.” 

She shot her a glare, “We both know that what he wants isn’t on the menu. Whenever I go to check on him, he just flirts in the most awful of ways.” 

Mack shrugged, “Too bad. He’s on your side of the bar tonight.” 

Creepy Hippie was harmless in the sense that he never actively did anything to put their lives in danger, but he was creepy in the way that he continued to stare at whichever girl was working that night, in the way he smirked and winked, and in the way he sat there nearly all night long. Anna Katherine wasn’t necessarily scared of him, but he did put her on edge. And on the nights when he showed up, she never walked to her car alone if he left right at closing. 

She braced herself as she walked towards him, “What can I get for you tonight?” 

He smirked, “Just the usual.” 

The wink is what really made her shiver. 

“And that is?” She knew what it was, but she would never give him that satisfaction. 

His cocky, creepy smirk faltered, “Oh, uh, just the Stone Dry.” 

“Right,” she nodded, “It’ll be right out.” 

Anna Katherine might’ve taken longer than necessary to get him his drink, but he didn’t seem to mind judging by the wink he gave her when she handed it to him. 

Anna Katherine was in the middle of two Moscow Mules for two girls who looked like they had a point to prove when she heard Mack yell over the noise, “Husband is here!” 

She spun around, nearly dropping the bottle that was still in her hand when she saw Niall leaning against the bar top smiling at her. He swung a bag in front of him, “C’mon. Time for your break.”

She gaped at him, “I can’t just leave Mack here by herself.”

“Sure you can. Right, Mack?” 

Mack smirked, “He texted me earlier. I told him it was fine. Now get out of here before I change my mind!” 

Anna Katherine was still trying to catch up to what was going on as she finished up her drinks and led Niall out back. There was an old rotting picnic table behind the bar where most of them took their breaks. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than still being inside. 

Once they were both seated, she studied Niall, “What are you doing here?” 

He motioned to the bag sitting between them, “Thought it was obvious.” 

“Yeah, but…” She trailed off as he started pulling the food out of the bag. Her mouth watered when she saw the cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries from her favorite restaurant. “You didn’t say anything.” 

He shrugged, “Didn’t think I had to.” He passed her one of the drinks, and she immediately knew it was a rootbeer float. “I didn’t want you closing tonight on an empty stomach.” 

“I would’ve gotten something from the kitchen.” 

He gave her an unimpressed look. “Sure.” 

There was a beat of silence that was interrupted by her stomach growling, causing them both to laugh. 

“Thanks for this, Niall.”

He smiled around a bite.

“You didn’t have to do this, you know. It’s late and you have work in the morning.” 

He reached across the table and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, “When are you going to learn that I’d do anything for you? Bringing you food is nothing.”

The light out back flickered, and the shadows danced across his face. She turned her hand over and laced their fingers together. She was struck by how different he was than Jonah. Where Jonah was all sharp angles and piercing stares, Niall was gentle smiles and soft glances. She wondered when she started preferring Niall’s smoothness to Jonah’s roughness. She didn’t think she actually wanted to know. 

“I’m really glad you're my friend.” 

He pulled his hand away, swallowing before saying, “Wouldn’t have it any other way, Kitten.”

They didn’t take long eating, and soon they were headed back inside. Anna Katherine expected Niall to leave, and was surprised when she saw him sitting on a stool a few feet down from Creepy Hippie. 

Niall widened his eyes and nodded towards the guy. Anna Katherine rolled her eyes but nodded. She tried not to be obvious about watching as he slid to the next stool and started talking to him. She did her best to ignore their conversation, but glances in their direction told her it at least seemed friendly. 

When she walked by she couldn’t help but overhear what Niall said, “You come here by yourself? I’m only here to see the wife.” 

She took a few more orders before things started slowing down. She poured what she knew was Niall’s favorite and walked back over to them. “Here you go.” 

Niall looked at her with a blinding smile, “And there she is. The woman who stole my heart.”

Anna Katherine rolled her eyes, “Shut up and drink your beer, Horan.” 

“Always such a charmer,” he laughed. 

She chanced a look at Creepy Hippie who was watching them carefully. “Didn’t know you were married.” 

She flashed the ring at him, “Thought this was a clear sign.”

“How long has it been now, love? Five months?” 

“It was four months exactly last week.” 

“See?” Niall pointed his thumb at her, “I’d be lost without her.” 

Creepy Hippie just nodded, “Lucky fella.” 

“Tell me about it. What about you? You got a special someone?” 

Anna Katherine left them to their conversation and went to check on the customers who were waving her down. Not long after, she noticed Creepy Hippie walking out of the bar. She went straight to Niall, “You got him to leave!” 

He took a swig of his beer and shrugged, “Wasn’t hard. Just kept telling him how in love we were.” 

“Well, thanks. He’s a menace here.” 

He flicked the cider Creepy Hippie had been drinking, “I would comment on his drink choices, but if Harry found out I was judging a man based on a drink, he’d castrate me.”

She laughed, “Yeah, probably.”

Niall quickly finished the rest of his beer, “I better get going. It’s late enough as is.” 

She grimaced, “Sorry. You’re going to be miserable when you wake up in the morning.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” He quickly dismissed her concern. “Text me as you’re leaving, yeah?” 

“Oh, now you’re going to be playing the overprotective husband bit?” 

He gave her a look, “Not playing anything, Kit.” 

“If this is about Creepy Hippie, he’s been here since the beginning of time. He never bothers us once we close up.” 

“Just save me an anxiety attack and keep me updated. Please.” 

It was the please that really did her in. “Yeah, okay. I will.” Then she smiled, “Only if you give me a goodbye kiss.” 

“You’ll get in trouble. No PDA at work, remember?” 

She waved him off, “The bosses aren’t here. It’s just Mack.”

He huffed, but when he leaned over the counter, she met him halfway. It was their most innocent kiss to date – just a peck on the lips. It was barely even a kiss, but it still left her smiling the rest of the night. 

  
  


_ Mack created a group chat _ _   
_ _ Mack added Liam, and two others to chat  _

_ H changed the name to The Winning Wookies _

_ Nat: _ _   
_ _ Harold.  _ _   
_ _ We’ve been over this.  _ _   
_ _ Only four people on this planet are the ww  _ _   
_ _ And there are six ppl in this group  _

_ H: _ _   
_ _ Not my name.  _ _   
_ _ Also, dont care.  _

_ Mack:  _ _   
_ _ Idk what the 2 of u are going on about but  _ _   
_ _ Guess who has next saturday off? _

_ Liam: _ _   
_ _ Im going to take a wild guess here  _ _   
_ _ You?  _

_ Nat: _ _   
_ _ U?  _

_ Mack:  _ _   
_ _ Yes but most importantly…. _

_ Kit and I both are off  _ _   
_ _ Which means everyone is off this Saturday  _

_ H: _ _   
_ _ You dont know my life  _

_ Nat: _ _   
_ _ Harry shut up  _

_ Liam: _ _   
_ _ And..? _

_ Mack:  _ _   
_ _ It’s getting hot.  _ _   
_ _ We have the weekend off.  _ _   
_ _ We are three hours from the beach… _

_ H: _ _   
_ _ Are you saying what I think youre saying? _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Beach trip!!!  _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ What is going on  _ _   
_ _ Why is my phone going off? _

_ H: _ _   
_ _ Are you incapable of reading the texts? _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ Im at work and unlike SOME ppl imt rying to do my job  _

_ H: _ _   
_ _ Yeah, yeah. Rub it in our faces wont ya  _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Guyssssss _

_ Nat: _ _   
_ _ I’m down for a day trip if everyone else is  _ _   
_ _ And i’ll be sure H is there _

_ Liam: _ _   
_ _ What Nat said  _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ Yeah, that should work for us _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Where is kit? _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ Probably still sleeping  _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Lazy bum _

_ Kit: _ _   
_ _ Im going to kill all of you  _

_ Kit changed the name to The Banes of My Existence _

_ H: _ _   
_ _ Well that wasnt v nice.  _

_ Niall changed the name to Be Nice Kit  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Let it be known i hate all of u rn for waking me up  _ _   
_ _ But let it also be known that i want this beach trip to happen  _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Yes! It’s a plan!  _

_ Nat changed the name to Not The Winning Wookies  _

The plan was to be on the road by six. This meant waking up at the most ungodly hour of five, but Anna Katherine woke up as soon as the first alarm went off and quickly turned off all the others. She felt bad for Niall. Even though he definitely needed this one day vacation, work had truly been horrendous for him the past week, and she could tell how exhausted he was. He told her he would wake up and make their lunch for them, and Anna Katherine hadn’t argued because she knew he wouldn’t agree to anything less. That didn’t mean she couldn’t wake up before him, turn off her alarms as well as his, get everything ready, and wake him up at the last possible minute. 

And she did just that. She made them both PB&J’s – two for Niall and one for her – and put the drinks he had bought on his way home last night in the cooler along with the frozen waters, and she cut up the fruit and made them a fruit salad. She packed their beach blanket and portable chargers, towels, sunscreen, and a change of clothes for the both of them. Lastly, she put on a pot of coffee and put two bagels in the toaster oven. Once she changed into her clothes, she went to wake up Niall.

Seeing him sleeping, she didn’t want to wake him up, but knew she had to if they wanted to go to the beach with their friends, which they very much did. She ran her fingers through his hair and whispered, “Niall, it’s time to wake up.” 

He groaned and buried his face in the pillow. 

She gave his scalp a scratch, “C’mon. You need to get dressed. The others will be here soon.” 

He peeked an eye at her, “You turned off my alarms didn’t you?” 

She smiled, “Maybe.” 

He turned over on his back, and it was a little unsettling with how he was staring at her. She stayed still when he lifted his hand and traced his fingers across her cheek. His eyes went to her mouth, and when his thumb ran across her lips, she felt her heart flutter. 

She thought he was about to say something, but Fox barked, and his hand fell to the mattress. “Thanks for letting me sleep.”

She thought she nodded, but she wasn’t completely sure. “Yeah. I’ll go take Fox out. There’s coffee and a bagel ready for you.” 

Before he could respond, she was off the bed and out of the room. 

On the way back from walking Fox, Nat ran into her. Almost literally. 

“Hey!” She was all smiles and much too perky for it to be so early. She took in Anna Katherine’s face, “Whoa. What’s that look for?” 

“What look?” 

“You look like you’re trying to solve world hunger.” 

She thought back to Niall’s thumb grazing her lips, the pad of his fingers trailing her skin. “Uh nothing. Just,” She knew she probably looked desperate, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care, “What car am I riding in? Can you make sure Niall and I aren’t in the same car?”

Nat immediately looked concerned, and Anna Katherine was thankful that her friend knew her well enough not to ask any more questions. “You and Niall were going to ride with Mack, but I’m sure they’ll all agree if I say all the girls can be in one car and the guys in the other.” 

“Yes. Please.” She looked down at Fox and then back at Nat, “You have no idea how much you’d be helping me if you did that.” 

“Of course.” Nat took her in, “If you need to talk about it…” 

“Yeah, yeah.” She nodded, “I know. And you’ll be the first I go to. Promise.” 

The drive to the beach was what every road trip with friends should be. They blasted music from their childhood, only to turn it down mid-song to reminisce on sleepovers and late night conversations and that feeling every girl felt when she unburdened her heart to her closest friend while they shared a blanket and her head rested on the pillow. There had been an odd sense of security during those nights with the lights off and all adults sound asleep in the other room. 

They sang off key and laughed when they sang the wrong words. When the boys tried to pass them, they sped up and laughed when Harry flipped them off. They all stopped at the fruit stand to buy fresh boiled peanuts and homemade jellies and more fruit than any of them could eat in a day. And for a moment, Anna Katherine forgot she married Niall just to keep him in the states. She forgot that she was in love with him but had no idea how he felt about her. She forgot all about this morning when his gentle touch and soul piercing eyes spooked her like a wild animal. 

They were some of the first people at the public beach, which is what they wanted and why they left so early. They parked side by side, and when Niall got out of Liam’s car, he walked straight to her. 

He pulled on her braid, “I can't believe you made me ride in the car with those idiots.” 

“Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy it.” 

“Yeah, but I missed you.” 

She laughed and shoved his chest, “You just saw me at the fruit stand an hour ago.”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, “You don’t seem to understand that there is no minimum amount of time that can pass for a husband to start missing his wife.” 

She propped her chin on his chest to look up at him and rolled her eyes, “You were one of those kids that had separation anxiety from their parents weren’t you?” 

He laughed, “Actually, no.” He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “Just prefer when we’re together. Nothing wrong with that.” 

Something stirred in her stomach, and she was pretty sure her heart was doing cartwheels in her chest. For once, his words made her speechless. 

“Hey, lovebirds!” They looked up to find Harry staring at them, “Cut the romance short, will you? We gotta load up and find the perfect spot on the beach.” 

As they were walking down the beach, Nat nudged her with her elbow, “I thought we were avoiding Niall?” 

Anna Katherine let out a quiet groan, “I don’t even know anymore, Nat. I’ve never been so confused and conflicted my entire life.” 

“Conflicted?” 

“He’s my best friend. It’s getting harder for me to not tell him how I feel, or at least that I feel  _ something.  _ But he’s my best friend.” 

“I don’t see how him being your best friend is a problem.” 

“I can’t lose him.” 

“I don’t think being honest with him will cause you to lose him.” 

“You don’t know that for certain, and I need certainty if I’m going to tell him anything.” 

Nat cut her eyes at her, “For what it’s worth, I think you’re making a mistake by not telling him.” 

She snorted, “Noted.” 

Mack finally deemed a spot perfect for their group, and the guys put up the two umbrellas while the girls put out the chairs and set up the speaker. Once everything was set up, they lathered up in sunscreen.

Harry jumped on the balls of his feet, “You guys ready to go in?” 

“Yeah!” Anna Katherine started taking off her coverup. 

“You’re supposed to wait thirty minutes to get in water after applying sunscreen, guys.” 

Harry and her ignored Nat. He stripped off his shirt and smirked at her, “Race ya to the sandbar.” 

“Oh, you’re on.” 

As she slammed against the first wave, she heard Niall yell, “The sandbar is where the sharks are!” 

Much to her annoyance, Harry beat her to the sandbar, and much to the annoyance of their friends, they stayed out there until her hair was caked with salt and their fingers turned to prunes. They took their time swimming back, and when they were halfway everyone else joined them in the water. 

Nat wrapped herself around Harry and clung to his back, her arms resting comfortably over his shoulders. Mack and Liam jumped the waves, and their laughter could be heard over the crashing of the waves. Anna Katherine smiled when Niall came up to her and rested his hands on her hips. 

“Have I ever told you that you and Harry are going to be the death of me?” His thumbs rubbed circles over her skin. 

She pretended to think it over, “It’s usually just me that you mention, but yeah. You have.” 

“It obviously hasn’t sunk in for you.” 

She scrunched up her face, “Might need to say it one more time. You know, for it to really sink in.” 

A wave came, and Niall placed himself between her and the wave. Once it passed, he rested his forehead against hers, “Hey, Kit?” 

She was still smiling, “Yeah?” 

He brushed his nose against hers, “You’re going to be the death of me.” 

“Just me? No more Harry?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and let the water brush her body against his. 

Niall’s lips grazed her jaw until they rested against her ear, “He doesn’t affect me the same way you do, Kitten.” 

His hands skimmed her sides as he moved them up her body, his thumbs resting underneath her breasts. Anna Katherine felt like she just finished running a marathon. 

She breathed him in, trying to calm her racing heart. There were no thoughts other than her heart beating to the rhythm of his name when she kissed his shoulder. “How do I affect you?” 

His hands trailed back down her sides and stopped right above her backside. He peppered her ear and neck with kisses, “I think you know how.” 

She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair. Her world shrunk to her and Niall, and the way he was holding her against him and the feeling of his lips against her bare skin. Nothing and no one existed outside of their bubble. But that bubble popped when a wave came crashing on them, shaking them out of their reverie and pulling them apart. 

They locked eyes, and Niall once again looked like he was about to say something. Nat beat him to it when she grabbed Anna Katherine’s arm saying, “Mack and I are about to go walk the shoreline. Wanna come?” 

She looked past Nat’s knowing look to Niall who was watching her carefully. Nat gave her arm a gentle squeeze, and she tore her gaze away from Niall and looked at her friend. “Uh, yeah. Sure.” 

Nat gave her a reassuring smile, “Good.” She gave Anna Katherine’s arm a pull, “Let’s go.” 

As the world crashed back down around her, Anna Katherine wondered how much of this she could take, and then, with her heart hammering in her chest, she wondered how much of this their friendship could take before it’s too late for them to turn back.

Anna Katherine expected Nat to say something about her and Niall on their walk, and she had never been more thankful than in that moment that Mack was with them and had no idea the truth behind her marriage with Niall. 

The rest of the day went by without incident, and when they got back from their walk, Niall was sitting in one of the chairs laughing at something Liam had said. She was nervous until he gave her a smile, and it was only then that she felt herself relax for the first time since the moment they had shared in the water. 

She took the seat next to him, and when he nudged her knee with his own, she felt herself smile. 

“Had a good walk?” 

She nodded.

“Good.” He passed her his water, “Don’t forget to drink plenty of water.” 

She rolled her eyes, “So bossy.” 

“Just looking out for my girl.” 

She ignored the feeling in the pit of her stomach, and took a long gulp of water to appease Niall. 

The day went by as any day at the beach does – slow and steady with a sense of contentment that only the lapping waves and the warm, white sand can create. They all sat and laid in a circle, listening to Liam’s beach playlist and running into the water whenever they started getting too hot. All of their lunches consisted of sandwiches that the seagulls tried to steal, chips, and fruit. They all alternated drinking water and the beer that the guys – and Mack – insisted on bringing, and by the time the sun was starting it’s decline in the sky, Liam, Harry, and Niall were properly tipsy. 

It came as no surprise to any of them when they started dancing, making the girls laugh and roll their eyes at their pure ridiculousness. When Harry tried to give Nat a lap dance, she squealed and ran off, only for him to chase her and throw them both against an oncoming wave. When they came back up, they were both laughing. Liam tried to breakdance and Niall attempted to twerk. Anna Katherine was breathless with laughter by the time Niall collapsed on the sand next to her. 

“Enjoy the show?” 

She shook her head and laughed again, “It was horrendous.” 

“Don’t worry,” he smiled cheekily, “I know you were checking me out.” 

Anna Katherine didn’t have a response, so she kicked sand on him, and in retaliation, Niall threw a sandball at her. Soon they were having an all out war, and Liam and Mack joined in. Liam and her eventually ran to the ocean for cover, but Mack and Niall came after them and dumped a pile of wet sand on the top of their heads. Eventually a truce was called, and the six of them spent the last few moments of daylight enjoying their time in the water. When the sky turned orange and pink, they got out and started packing up. It was fully dark by the time they had the last of their things packed away and all of them had changed into more comfortable clothes. 

Anna Katherine and Nat walked back to the cars together after changing, and while they were still alone, Nat reached out and touched her arm. “Wanna stay with me tonight?”

She gave Nat a questioning look. They had sleepovers all the time as kids, but it’s been years since they had one. 

Nat read the question in her eyes, “I just think you need a Niall vacation.” 

There was a loud part of her that screamed against this, but she listened to the softer voice instead. She nodded, “Yeah, probably a good idea.” 

When she told Niall their plan, he looked concerned. “Are you okay?” 

She nodded, and he changed the question, this time whispering so only she could hear, “Are  _ we  _ okay?” 

Her heart plummeted, “Of course we are, Niall.” She leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek, “There’s nothing for you to worry about it.” 

When she pulled back, he still didn’t look convinced, but he smiled anyway. “Alright, well I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He cupped her cheek and gave her hand a squeeze, “Hope you two have fun.” 

“We will. Give Fox lots of cuddles for me.” 

“Of course.” 

She gave him one more smile before slipping into the car with Mack and Nat. 

Natalie and Anna Katherine were facing each other in the dark bedroom, their heads resting on Nat’s pillows. 

“I take everything back. I don’t think you should tell him.” 

Anna Katherine sighed, “How come?” 

“I don’t want you to hurt Niall just as much as I don’t want to see you get hurt from any of this, Kit.” 

“And you think I’m going to hurt him?” She knew she sounded too defensive, but she couldn’t help it. 

She hesitated before answering. “Not necessarily, but you can’t even be honest about how you feel with yourself or me. You don’t know if you truly love him or if it’s just the situation playing with her head. I don’t…” She trailed off with a sigh, “I’m scared you’re going to destroy him.” 

“I’m not going to destroy him because he doesn’t see me as anything more than a friend, Natalie. But don’t worry,” she huffed and turned her back to Nat, “I’ll keep him at arms length from now on.”

“Anna Katherine, that’s not–” 

“No. Just drop it. I’m tired and want to go to sleep.” 

Keeping Niall at arms length was harder than Anna Katherine could ever imagine. She hadn’t realized how physically dependent they had both become until she was trying not to be. It didn’t help that every time she pulled away, a look of hurt crossed Niall’s features. He kept asking if they were okay, and she kept saying they were fine. But Anna Katherine was far from fine. The only time she allowed herself to be physically close to Niall was when the lights were off and they were both in bed for the night, but even that made her heart feel like it was being crushed under the weight of all the broken hearts in the world. 

Niall told himself repeatedly that Kit hadn’t been acting weird because of what he said at the beach, but every time she pulled away from his touch, he couldn’t help but question it again. It had been days, and she was still choosing to snuggle against the closest pillow rather than him. She took Fox on walks without inviting him. She left for her shifts before he got home from the office. The only time they felt like Kit and Niall was when they went to bed, and even then she seemed to be off. 

By Thursday, he was desperate for things to go back to how they had been. She told him she thought they should hang out with Harry and Nat rather than spend it doing their normal date night. He had agreed, but only because he didn’t want to start anything. 

Also, he might have been a little bit of a chicken. 

That day he left work early, dodging Liam’s questions, and rushing to beat the rush hour traffic. He made it home an hour before Nat or Harry were scheduled to show up, and he had every intention to use every bit of that time figuring out what was going on with Kit. 

Fox was sleeping on her bed in the living room and lazily lifted her head when he walked in. Other than that, she didn’t pay him much attention. As he walked through, he noticed that Kit wasn’t in the kitchen or bathroom. He half expected her to be in his room, but when he opened the door, the room was empty. He dropped his bag at the foot of his bed then walked across the hall to her room. 

She was sitting propped up on her bed wearing one of his old college shirts with a book resting on her knees. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, crossing his arms and legs. 

Her eyes went wide when she saw him, “What’re you doing home? Why did you close the door?” 

“We need to talk.” 

She closed her book and sat up, “About what?” 

He nodded towards her, “You. Why have you been acting weird?” 

She blinked, “I haven’t.” 

“Oh, come off it, Kit,” He scoffed. “This is me and you we’re talking about. I know you better than anyone else.” 

“It’s  _ nothing,  _ Niall. I promise.” 

“If it was nothing, you wouldn’t recoil every time I touch you.” 

She slid off the bed, “I don’t!” 

He pushed himself off the door and threw his hands up, “Yes! You do!” 

She was quiet and refused to look at him. 

He softened his voice, “Kit…” 

She looked at him then and was glaring at him. “Don’t. I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Which is it? Nothing or nothing you want to admit?” 

Anger flashed in her eyes, and she marched over to him and tried to get to the door. He blocked her path, and no matter how much she shoved and pushed, he refused to move. 

“Neither of us is leaving until you talk to me!” 

She set her jaw and crossed her arms, “Then we’re never leaving this room.” 

They stared at each other, both of them with their chests heaving in anger. After a moment, Niall decided to change tactics. His hands dropped to his side, and he took a step towards her. Kit squinted, suspicious of what he was about to do. 

When he reached out and started tickling her, she let out a high-pitched squeal and pushed away from him. She jumped on the bed and sat up on her knees, pointing a finger in his direction, “Niall. Don’t.” 

He smirked and gave a quick shrug, “You know how to stop this.” 

He started walking towards the bed, and she slowly moved backwards. When she was in the middle of the bed, he ran and tackled her, tickling her sides and underneath her thighs – all the places he knew she hated being tickled. 

She was squealing and laughing, and soon he was laughing too. But then he tickled behind her knee, and her other leg jerked up and kneed him in the crotch. He immediately stopped and rolled off the bed with a loud thump. 

He let out a groan and squeezed his eyes shut. Once he was able to open them, he saw Kit peeking over the edge of the bed. She at least had enough decency to look a little apologetic. 

“You okay?” She smirked.

With another groan, he reached up and pulled her off the bed, making her join him on the floor with a thump of her own. He rolled his body on top of hers, propping himself up on an elbow, “That wasn’t very nice.” 

She shrugged, all hints of being sorry seemingly gone, “What you get for tickling me and locking me in my room.” 

His eyes roamed across her face, resting on her lips before flicking back to her eyes. “Did you hit your head? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” 

She shook her head, and his hand caressed her cheek. Her voice was the softest he’s ever heard when she said, “I’m fine, Ni.” 

He rubbed his thumb across her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. “Talk to me, Kit.” 

He felt her body tense, and he was scared she wouldn’t say anything. It would be a very Kit thing to do to refuse to talk to him after everything that just happened. 

She reached up and interlocked her fingers behind his neck, her thumbs rubbing against his jaw. He didn’t think he could ever tire of that feeling. 

“I want to kiss you.” 

His heart thumped against his chest. That hadn’t been what he was expecting. He swallowed and then, “What’s stopping you?” 

Her eyes went wide in surprise. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was surging up and kissing him, and his hand was tangled in her hair. 

As much as he should, he didn’t care if this was only Kit needing to blow off steam or needing release of some kind. He’d give her whatever part of him she craved, even if it was only this. 

Kissing Niall could very easily become Anna Katherine’s favorite hobby. The weight of his body over hers made her stomach swoop, and when he slid his leg between hers, it was pure instinct to arch up against his thigh. 

She felt his puffs of breath when he laughed against her mouth, “Patience, Kit.” 

She chased his mouth as he pulled back to take off his shirt. She leaned up on an elbow, and used the other hand to trace from his collarbone and down his chest to his stomach. His stomach tensed under her light touches. She looked up at him, and the look he was giving her made her heart race. 

“S’nothing ya haven’t seen before.” 

Her hand dropped when he went to remove his pants, and then she was pulling off her shirt. His fingers brushed through her hair, and he cradled the back of her head as he laid them both against the floor once more. She was hyper aware of his hand on her stomach, slowly sliding up, and his other now cupping her cheek. 

She kissed his jaw, his neck, his chest, but when she felt his hand move down past her stomach and hover over her underwear, her head fell back and hit the floor. 

“Niall,” She sounded out of breath and desperate, and if it had been with anyone other than Niall, she would’ve hated herself for it. She arched up, desperate for the pressure and friction his fingers and hands promised. The rough calluses of his fingers shot shivers up her body as he traced his fingers over the thin material, and… 

They both heard a door slam shut. 

“Guys?” It was Nat. 

Niall’s head fell on her chest and he muttered a tired, “ _ Fuck _ .” 

Her hands found their way into his hair, “She’s going to come in here soon if we don’t go out there.” 

“We could just,” he looked up at her, his playful smirk a stark contrast to how he was looking at her earlier, “Barricade the door and be quiet.” 

“Niall, mate, we know you’re here! We saw your car.” And that was Harry. 

She let out a whine, “I really hate our friends right now.” 

“Yeah, me too.” He kissed her bare shoulder, “I’ll go out there. Get dressed and make yourself presentable. You look a little… flustered.” 

She slapped his chest, and he hopped off of her with a laugh. She stayed on the floor with her shirt off and her bra doing little to cover her while she watched Niall get dressed. 

He smirked as he buckled his belt, “As much as I enjoy this view, you need to get dressed unless you want those two idiots to know what we were up to.” 

She groaned, but knew he was right. She sat up to straighten her bra and pull on her shirt. 

He gave her a wink, “I’ll see you out there.” 

She dragged her hands over her face with another groan before getting up to find a pair of leggings. 

As soon as she stepped out of her room, Nat dragged her back in. 

Nat barely gave her time to breathe before demanding, “What happened to keeping him at arm's length?” 

She tried to play dumb, “What do you mean?” 

“As if you weren’t just in here with him sucking face,” She scoffed. “Look at you!” 

Anna Katherine glanced down at herself. “I don’t see anything wrong.” 

“It’s all over your face, you dumbass.” 

“Geez.” 

“Look,” Nat took a deep breath, “I was there when everything went to shit with Jonah. When both of you guys were too in your heads, you ended up pushing everyone but each other away. Ever since you met, you’ve been each other’s persons.” 

“Nat, that’s not true. You’re my best friend.” 

“Okay, yeah.” She nodded, “I might be your best friend, but he’s on another level. If you continue down this road with him and things go south, you’ll need him to lean on, but you won’t have him.” 

As the realization and truth behind Nat’s words sank in, the world came crashing down around Anna Katherine once more. 

When Nat and Kit disappeared back into the bedroom, Harry smirked at Niall. 

“What?” 

“It took you awhile to come out. What were the two of you up to in there?” 

Niall avoided looking at him, “We were just hanging out.” 

“Mhm.” Harry chuckled, “Sure.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re one to talk. What have you and Nat been up to? Don’t think I didn’t miss all the flirting at the beach.” 

Harry was suddenly very interested in the kitchen’s door frame. “You know what? Don’t turn this on me. I know a good makeout session hair when I see it.” 

Niall halfheartedly tried to smooth down his hair, “Look, it’s nothing. We’re just–” 

Harry suddenly had an Irish accent when he cut Niall off, “ _ Oh, we’re just platonically married best friends who just sometimes makeout now. It’s fine.  _ You’re a fucking idiot, Horan.” 

“That was a shit attempt at an Irish accent.” 

“Just tell her before it’s too late.” 

The girls came back out then, and Niall shot Harry a look to make sure he shut up. 

That night when Kit turned the lights off, hurried to the bed, and huddled under the covers, there was a softness that surrounded them. Niall moved to her and held her close. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and when he breathed in he realized she smelled like his shampoo. 

“Did you use my shampoo again?” 

Her answer was muffled from his shirt, “I ran out.” 

“I’m going to start charging you.” 

“You would never,” he could hear the smile in her voice, and she was right. 

They were quiet and allowed the comfort of the night to envelop them. 

Niall took a deep breath and tried to find his courage from earlier, “We still need to have that talk.” 

She slid her foot between his legs, “Do we, though?” 

_ “Kit.”  _

“Fine.” She gave his chest a pat, “But can we do it at a more reasonable time? I just want to sleep.” 

It wasn’t the answer Niall wanted, but it was more than he had before today. “Yeah. Of course.” 

Anna Katherine didn’t purposefully make plans that weekend just to avoid talking to Niall. She could see how one may think that, but it truly started off as an innocent lunch with her dad. She had work and other commitments, and then she had the dinner with Jonah that she had genuinely completely forgotten about until he texted her confirming the time and place. She wasn't upset about not having time to talk to Niall, but she hadn’t planned it this way. 

The problem was, she didn’t even know what she would say to him. She knew the questions he needed answers to, knew he wanted to talk about what he said at the beach and what happened in her bedroom. She enjoyed it all and loved every second of it, but Nat’s words haunted her. Her friend was right, of course. Niall was her person, and she didn’t know if anything was worth losing that. So while a part of her wanted to have that conversation with him, a more primal part of her told her not to. She had always been more of a runner than a fighter. Apparently that was true for matters of her heart as well. 

Jonah was waiting for her outside the restaurant, and even she couldn’t deny how handsome he looked in his crisp button down and slacks with the street lights shining down on him. 

“Anna Kay,” He smiled when he saw her, “A part of me thought you’d stand me up.” 

She chuckled and leaned into his one arm hug, “You’d deserve it, but I’m not that cruel.” 

“Well, I appreciate it.” He held the door open for her, and she smiled in thanks as she walked in. 

The hostess brought them to a booth, and after a moment of scanning the menu, Anna Katherine laid hers down, “I was surprised you wanted to go to dinner.” 

Jonah looked at her over his menu, “How come?” 

“Well,” She fiddled with her napkin, “We were never friends. Not really. And after our breakup, there isn’t much to catch up on.” 

“You don’t think we were friends?” 

She shrugged, “I mean, we knew each other, but we jumped straight from classmates to in a relationship. There was never any middle ground.” 

He eyed her, “Unlike you and Niall.” 

“I mean, yeah.” She cleared her throat. “And I thought this was purely a professional relationship.” 

“I don’t think it’s hard to imagine that I miss having you in my life, Anna.” 

His words caught her off guard, mainly because she hadn’t missed having him in hers. Not for a while, anyway. The thought that she missed Niall even after being away from him for just a day came in uninvited, but it wasn’t a surprise to her. Niall had become so much more to her than whatever Jonah had ever been. 

She locked eyes with him, “You’re the one who left and never looked back.” 

After a moment of tense silence, Jonah nodded. “Point taken.” 

And so they talked about his life when he lived away and her photography business. She told him about Fox and about Alex’s studies. He told her how his parents were doing and what his next plans were. And for a moment, things were easy between them. 

They went back to looking at the menu after that, and when the waiter came they were both ready to order. They made small talk while they waited for their appetizers and meals. 

Jonah was cutting his steak when he spoke up again. “You know, I bought a ring.”

Anna Katherine choked on her noodles. “What?” 

He nodded, “Yeah. I was going to propose that weekend.” 

Her blood ran cold, “You mean the weekend you cheated on me?” 

He reached out for her hand, but she pulled it back. “You have to understand…” 

“No.” She sat up straight and glared at him, “I don’t have to understand anything. You lost that when you weren’t man enough to tell me yourself.” 

“Niall should have minded his own damn business,” His voice had turned hard and unforgiving. 

Hers matched, “It was his business. Not including everything else, we’re best friends. He did the right thing. Don’t try to pin your mistakes on him.” 

There was a pause, and when Jonah spoke again, his voice was soft. “Do you think we would have ever gotten back together if you weren’t married to him?” 

Kit looked up from her plate, surprised by Jonah’s question, but the answer was easy. “No.”

He seemed shocked at her answer, “How come?” 

“Our history.” She twirled the noodles onto her fork, “You cheated on me, Jonah. Not only that, but you cheated on me with the girl my best friend was sleeping with.” 

Regret and desperation filled his eyes, “I thought you were sleeping with Niall.” 

Her fork dropped with a clatter, and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, “Look. I don’t know why everyone thinks that I was dating or sleeping with Niall before I actually was.” She took a breath, and shoved her hair behind her ear. “We didn’t start dating until two months before our wedding, and I wasn’t even sure I loved him until after the wedding.” 

“See,” He pointed a finger at her. “That’s why people think that. He asked you to marry him, and you said yes without even knowing how you felt! You would do anything for him. You trust him. You never trusted me.” 

“With good reason, apparently.” 

She could feel the tension between them. And when his eyes flashed with anger, she knew she had hit the mark. 

“I was sorry. Almost immediately.” 

“Yeah, but that’s the thing.” She leaned back in her chair, trying to control her voice. “You fucked up. And that was actually your second fuck up because you decided to move across state lines without even telling me you were thinking about it. One day we were talking about getting engaged and the next you were moving. And then a few months later Niall catches you in bed with  _ his  _ girl. And instead of talking any of that out with me, you drive off to your new home after the colossal mess blew up in your face and never called me again. I genuinely do not care if you were or are sorry. You shouldn’t have done any of that. Niall would never do any of that.” 

Jonah was silent and then, “Maybe this dinner was a mistake.” 

“Yeah, maybe so.” She put her napkin on the table, “Just finish up so we can get the ticket and leave.” 

Once they were finished and the bill was settled, they walked outside. Before Anna Katherine could walk away, he stopped her. 

“Do you love him now?” 

It was the easiest thing in the world to say, “Yes. More than I’ve ever loved anyone.” 

The hurt in his eyes didn’t hurt her as much as it probably should have. 

Anna Katherine went to Alex’s after the dinner and ended up staying later than she had planned when they started a movie. By the time she got home, Niall was asleep. She woke up before him on Sunday, and she took Fox for a walk and got ready for work all before he woke up. She could’ve waited a little longer to go to work, but she found herself grabbing her keys and heading to the bar regardless. That way she had plenty of time to open, at least that’s what she was telling herself. After her shift she went straight to Nat’s for girls night, and it was only when she came home that she finally saw Niall. 

He was on their couch, drinking a beer, and watching some documentary with Zac Efron in it. 

She dropped her purse by the door and made her way to the couch to join him, “How were Liam and Harry?” 

He watched her walk towards him, and when she went to sit beside him, he lifted his arm so she could lean against him, “Fine. Liam couldn’t stop talking about that girl he’s been seeing. How were the girls?” 

She shrugged and reached out to take his beer from him. She took a sip before answering, “Fine. Mack talked non stop and I’m pretty sure Nat is sleeping with someone but isn’t tell me.” 

He smirked, “Why do you think that?” 

“Call it friend intuition.” 

He chuckled, “Gotcha.” 

There was a beat and then, “You’re not avoiding me again, are you?”

She groaned, “Niall. I am here. Sitting on the couch with you. Not ‘recoiling from your touch’ as you so eloquently phrased it on Thursday. Would I be doing that if I was avoiding you?” 

He scratched her shoulder, “Well, you have been MIA all weekend.” 

She rolled her head back to look at him, “I’ve been  _ busy,  _ Niall. That’s a thing that happens in people’s lives.” 

“Fair enough.” He gave her another scratch, “I’m guessing you’re too tired to talk tonight?” 

“Will you think I’m avoiding it if I say yes?” 

“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now.” 

“Then, yes. I’m too tired. Raincheck?” 

He took his beer back and chuckled, “Raincheck. Hey, you have Thursday off, right?” 

She tried to remember her schedule, “I think so. Why?” 

“I need you to double check. That’s our interview.” 

“We should probably practice again.” 

“Wouldn't hurt. Especially since my citizenship is riding on this.” 

She ignored how her heart picked up pace, “Tomorrow at lunch?” 

“Sure, I can come home. Pizza?” 

“No. I want tacos.” 

He laughed, “Fine. Tacos it is.” 

The next morning, Anna Katherine woke up to Niall kissing her shoulder, “G’morning.” 

She cracked an eye open, “Why am I awake?” 

He smirked, “I’m about to leave for work.” 

“You’ve never woken me up before you left. I liked that routine. Let’s go back to that.” 

He chuckled and brushed her hair out of her face, “I just wanted to check in.” 

“Ugh.” 

“This is a big week for us. I know you’re not ready to talk, but I just want to make sure you’re good.” 

“The only way I could possibly be better is if you hadn’t woken me up.” 

He laughed, “Right. Well, let’s not forget that if we screw this up, we could both go to prison.” 

“So reassuring and encouraging. Thanks.” 

He kissed her cheek. “Anytime, Kit-Kat. I’ll see you at lunch.” 

She waved him off and then went back to sleep. When she woke up again, she felt like her heart was in her throat, and Niall’s words were playing on loop in her head. 

His citizenship was on the line. They could go to prison. He would be shipped off. Her future would be ruined.

_ Shit. Shit shit shit shit. _

Niall came home with Kit’s favorite tacos and her favorite brand of sweet tea only to find her on the floor with her legs propped up on the wall and her head resting on Fox. The papers with the interview questions were scattered around her, and he wasn’t sure if she was asleep or just dead to the world around her. 

“I hope you’re not dead. That would really mess up my plan to stay in the states.” 

She rolled over and propped herself on her elbows. Judging from the way her eyebrows were angrily knitted together, she was in a foul mood. “Oh, yeah. How dare I inconvenience you with my death. I forgot you only care about me as a way to become an American.” 

He shot an unamused glance and tossed her a drink. “Just get over here and eat your tacos, Kit.” 

“What if I don’t want to eat?” 

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“Does coffee count?” 

“Jesus, Kit. Just come eat the tacos.” 

With a huff, she got off the floor and joined him at the table. Fox followed, and climbed up in one of the empty chairs. He eyed the dog, “She thinks she’s human.” 

“As she should.” 

Niall slid the three tacos to her and then unwrapped his own. He was on his third bite when he noticed Kit still hadn’t started eating. “Are you really not hungry?” 

She shrugged, “My stomach has felt uneasy all day.” 

“You should’ve told me. I could’ve gotten you soup or something instead. I’ll pick some up on my way home this evening.” 

“Niall. You don’t have to do that.” 

He scoffed, “It’s not about having to. It’s about wanting to.” 

She tried to protest again, but he ignored her and made a mental note to stop by the store on the way home. 

When he was on his second taco, he grabbed the questions from where Kit had left them on the floor and scanned over them. “So, they’re going to do a group interview which is the two of us together, but they’re also going to do individual ones.” 

Kit’s eyes went wide, “I’m going to be by myself?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Niall!” 

“It’s not a big deal. It’s going to be fine.” 

“This is your future we’re talking about.” 

“And it’s in your hands.” He gave her a reassuring smile, “There isn’t a more safe place for it to be.” 

She snatched the papers out of his hand and read the first question, “Where did we meet?”

“Easy. On the green while tailgating for the homecoming game. You were wearing that gold dress and complained the entire time because the wind wouldn’t stop blowing it up.” 

He felt her eyes on him, but he continued looking at his taco when she asked, “How do you remember that?” 

“There’s a picture.” 

“Don’t think I’ve seen that one of us.” Her focus went back to the paper, “Alright, what did the two of us have in common?”

Niall thought back to their time in college, “Did we have anything in common besides Jonah and going out with our friends?” 

“We did have a shared hatred of that one professor.” 

“Yes! The public speaking one. What was her name?” 

Kit laughed, “All I remember is her black, rotting teeth.” 

“God, she was the worst.” 

“She really was. When did we meet each other’s parents?” 

“Easy. I met Patty and Timmy a week after meeting you, and you crashed a skype call with my mum the week I got back from the winter hols.” 

She scoffed, “I did not crash anything. Maura wanted to meet me!” 

Niall laughed, “Yeah, okay.” 

“Do we spend a lot of time together?” 

“Always, unless you’re avoiding me.” 

She threw a chip at him. “When did we begin to have romantic feelings for each other?” 

“That night we danced in the kitchen.”   
“What?” 

He looked up to see her staring at him. He cleared his throat, “It’s the most believable time it could’ve happened for me.” 

“But that was years ago. The interviewer is going to ask you why you didn’t ask me out until years later.” 

“Easy. I didn’t think you were over Jonah and then I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

She kept staring at him, but she eventually nodded. “Yeah, that works.” 

“What about you?” 

“I, uh, don’t know.” 

He scratched his neck, “You could say you didn’t realize it until I asked you out.”

She nodded, “Yep. Okay. That works.” 

They continued going through and answering the questions while Niall ate and Kit fiddled with her tacos. Once he finished eating, he cleaned the table and put her tacos in the fridge for her to eat later. 

“I better get back to work.” 

The scowl on her face was back full force, “Yeah.” 

He walked over to her and brushed her hair out of her face, “You sure you’re okay?” 

She was still scowling, but her eyes softened slightly, “I promise I’m fine.” 

His thumb traced the freckles that popped up on her cheeks after their day at the beach, “Alright. Take it easy before your shift tonight, yeah?” 

“Yes, Niall.” She rolled her eyes. 

He leaned down to kiss her forehead, “I’ll see you tonight.” 

He heard her sigh, and he smiled at the sound. He pulled himself away from her and forced himself out the door before he allowed himself to do something truly stupid. 

Anna Katherine was pretty sure that when Niall told her to take it easy, her panicking about the interview was not what he had in mind, but the more she tried not to panic, the more panicked and anxious she felt. When three o’clock rolled around, she found herself packing up her things and heading towards one of the three people that knew the truth, outside of her and Niall. 

She didn’t see Harry’s jeep when she parked at his apartment complex, and when she knocked, there wasn’t an answer. She knew the key was hiding under the dead cactus, but she felt weird about intruding into his personal space. She sat down on his welcome mat and leaned against the door, waiting for him to come home. 

She was fiddling on her phone when he finally walked up, “Anna Katherine?”

She looked up and smiled when she saw him, “Hey!” 

His keys dangled from his fingers and he repositioned his bag slung over his shoulder, “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” 

She stood up and dusted herself off, “Yeah, uh. Can we talk?” 

He eyed her curiously, “Of course. Let’s go inside, yeah?” 

She moved aside so he could unlock the door and then followed him inside. She sat on the couch while he put all of his things away, and when he came back he asked, “Why aren’t you going to Nat about whatever is going on?” 

“Nat is acting weird.” 

He seemed surprised by that, “How so?” 

“I think she’s sleeping with someone and isn’t telling me about it. Either that or she’s like, dying.” 

Harry had coughing fit. 

“And I tried to call Alex, but…” She trailed off and glared at him when the coughing continued, “Pull yourself together, Harold. I’m having a crisis over here!” 

In between coughs he said, “Not my name.” 

“Whatever. I tried calling Alex but his phone is off.” 

Harry finally stopped coughing, “Why can’t you go to Niall?”   
“Because it’s about him.” 

He started coughing again. 

“Honestly, Harry. Go get a cough drop or something.” 

Finally he pulled himself together, “Niall?” 

She nodded, “Our interview is this week for the whole deporting thing.” 

“Oh, yeah. That has to be exciting, right?”

“Exciting?” She scoffed, “I was fine until Niall reminded me that our entire lives depend on this interview. What if I mess it up?” 

Harry joined her on the couch, “You sure you shouldn’t be talking to Niall about all of this?” 

She shook her head, “It’s bad enough that I’m a nervous wreck. He doesn’t need to be, too.” 

He watched her for a moment before sighing, “What’s his favorite color?” 

“Green.” She looked at him like he was an idiot, but the response was immediate. 

“And what does he order from your favorite Thai restaurant?” 

“Yellow curry.” 

“How does he take his coffee?”   
“Black unless it’s a latte, and then he adds two raw sugars.” 

“How often does he get a haircut?” 

“Every two months. Harry, what does this have to do with anything?” 

“You  _ know  _ him, Kit.” He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You know what makes him tick and how he thinks things through. Big and small, you know him.” 

“But–” 

“Ah-ha. But nothing. You know him, and it’s because of that this entirely ridiculous scheme had any possibility of working in the first place. Have I ever lied to you before?” 

She gave him a flat look. 

“Okay fine. Have I ever lied about something important?” 

“No.” 

“Then trust me when I say that you have nothing to worry about. The interview is going to be fine.” 

She let out a long breath, “Okay. Yeah, you’re right.” 

He smirked, “I know I am.” He stood up and pulled her off the couch, “Now, as much as I love having you around, I need you to leave.” 

“What? Why?” 

He herded her towards the door, “I have a date coming over, and I don’t need you ruining the mood.” 

She lit up, “A date? What’s their name?” 

He opened the door, “None of your business. Now get out before I call your husband to come and fetch you.” 

“You’re no fun.” 

“Bye, Kit.” 

She turned on her heel, “Bye, Harold.”

“Not my name!” He called after her. She laughed. 

Her talk with Harry helped keep her calm the rest of the day, but when she woke up Tuesday morning, the panic was back, and somehow it was worse than before. She laid in bed staring at the ceiling trying to ease the tension in her chest. When that didn’t work and the pressure felt like it was about to crush her, she jumped out of bed and took a shower. She sat on the fluffy rug she had convinced Niall to buy last year while she dried off, and then she got dressed and grabbed her computer and the interview questions. She was going to type out a detailed answer to every single possible question the interviewer could ask. She wasn’t about to ruin this for him. 

She turned her phone off and only took breaks to refill her coffee. She was so concentrated on the questions and the answers she was carefully typing that when Niall walked through the door, she nearly jumped out of her skin. 

“Shit, what time is it?” She checked the time on the computer and realized she should’ve left for work five minutes ago. “ _ Shit _ .” 

She slammed the computer shut and ran to her bedroom to change. 

Niall called after her, “What were you doing?” 

There was a pile of her and Niall’s laundry on her bed, which was a shocking reminder of how little she had used her own bed since their wedding. She dug through the piles until she found a wrinkled work shirt and a faded pair of jeans. “Preparing for the interview.” 

He appeared in her doorway, and she didn’t shy away from stripping down to her underwear to change in front of him. He didn’t seem to notice, either. 

“Speaking of which,” Niall started and rubbed the back of his neck, “I think we really need to have that conversation before the interview. It’s going to be a stressful situation, and it’ll be best if we didn’t go in with any unresolved baggage.” 

“I’m late for work, Niall.” She shimmied into her jeans, which were almost too tight since she forgot to air dry them. She had to lay on the bed to fasten them. 

“I get that, but this is important–” 

“ _ Niall.”  _ She leapt off the bed and pulled her shirt over her head, “I can’t do this right now.” 

She shoved past him to get to the bathroom to brush her teeth and run a brush through her hair. 

“I get that you think that, but–” 

She spun around and glared at him,  _ “It was a mistake!”  _

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. They weren’t even a full thought at the time, but with being late to work and stressing over the interview, they somehow slipped out. Niall looked as surprised as she felt by her words, but it was too late to take them back now. 

“Is that what you want to hear? It was a mistake. All of it. The kiss on New Year’s, the beach, my bedroom.” She waved her hands around, “If I could take it all back, I would!” 

She could see the hurt on his face, and it was worse than any tension felt that morning. She swallowed back her tears and tried to ignore what it meant for him to be so hurt by her words. 

She masked her own heartbreak with a softer voice, “This is why I told you I didn’t want to have this conversation, Niall.” 

She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and squeezed between Niall and the door. “I gotta get to work.” She couldn’t look at him. The pain in his eyes was too much for her to see, “I’ll see you tonight.” 

As soon as she got in her car, Anna Katherine let her tears fall. She hadn’t been lying when she told Niall it had been a mistake. It had been, but she hadn’t told him why she felt that way. She had only hurt him and ran out of the apartment. And, for that, she hated herself. 

That night when she got back from work, she cracked the door to Niall’s room open. He was sound asleep, huddled on his side of the bed. Her side was completely untouched and empty. She watched him sleep for a moment before carefully closing the door and going to her own room, quickly falling asleep amongst the piles of laundry. 

She woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee and fresh bacon. Her face felt puffy and she had one of the worst headaches she’s had in a while. She felt like she had a hangover, but instead of it being caused by too much alcohol, this one was caused by an overwhelming amount of emotions that she didn’t want to deal with. She slid out of bed, one pile of clothes falling to the floor as she did, and changed clothes before heading to the kitchen. 

Niall was standing by the stove with only a pair of running shorts on. His hair was slick with sweat, and Anna Katherine wanted to walk up to him and wrap her arms around him. But she couldn’t do that to either of them, not after what she said yesterday. 

Without turning around, he went to the coffee pot and poured her a mug. He gave her a half smile when he handed it to her, “We only need to get through today.” 

She wasn’t sure she could survive the day without her heart crumbling to ruins. “Yeah. Easy peasy.” 

She went to the table, and he wasn’t long behind her with two plates of eggs and bacon and a bowl of biscuits. The only sounds were their utensils scraping against the plates. She wordlessly cleaned up once she was finished, and Niall disappeared into his room. It was a silent agreement that they stayed in separate parts of the apartment until the interview. When Niall knocked on her bedroom door, she waited for him to open it himself, but when it stayed closed, she got up to do it herself. 

His face was void of all emotion when he said, “Time to go. You’ll need a coat. It’s raining.” 

“Right.” She nodded and went to grab her things before following him out the door. 

The ride was completely silent except for the music on the radio. Neither of them bothered to connect their phones to listen to a playlist. Niall gave her a look when they had parked and gotten out of the car, “Don’t forget we need to act in love.” 

“Yep.” 

She trailed behind him as they walked up to the building, but once they started up the steps, she hurried to get beside him and take his hand. He gave her a squeeze, and she was thankful that despite the awkward tension separating them, she at least had this. 

The individual interviews were longer and more intensive than she had thought they’d be, and when they were over, she only felt relieved when she was able to go and sit by Niall again. 

He leaned over to whisper, “How’d it go?” 

“Nerve shattering, but it was fine.” 

He patted her knee, “Told ya that you’d do fine.” 

After a few moments, they were called back together for the joint interview. She was a lot less nervous for this one with Niall by her side. Most of the questions were easy enough, and they only had to bend the truth on a few of them. She was glad that they had practiced, though, it assured her that their answers lined up. 

The woman who had been interviewing them smiled, “You two seem to really know each other. Niall, what is the weirdest thing Anna Katherine has ever asked of you?” 

She perked up, curious as to how Niall would answer. This hadn’t been one of the questions they had practiced. 

He chuckled, a little self conscious, “Well, it would have to be that time, and this was a few weeks after we met, that she interrupted my studying to say, ‘If we’re still friends when we’re old, I need you to die second because you have to take my brain out.’ She had been reading this book called  _ Stiff  _ and apparently had just learned that your brain leaks out once you start to decompose, and that, out of everything else, was what stuck with her. At the time, she had been very adamant about that not happening to her.” 

She stared at him in shock, “How the hell do you remember that?” 

She had almost forgotten about that, but hearing Niall describe it brought the memory rushing back. She remembered how Jonah had later mocked her for it when she brought it up to him weeks later, but Niall had just nodded very solemnly and told her of course he’d do that for her. 

He smiled at her, and for a moment, she forgot that there was anything amiss in their friendship, “There are very few things you’ve said that I don’t remember, love.” 

The woman asked a few more questions that they answered flawlessly, and they even laughed at a few of the answers, like if she ever handled the finances. 

She had scoffed, “He had full access to all my accounts even before we were dating. He’s the number guy. I just do as he tells me.” 

Niall laughed, “It’s the only time she doesn’t put up a fuss about being told what to do.” 

“Numbers scare me.” She shrugged. 

When the woman had told them they only had one more question, Anna Katherine let out a relieved sigh, thankful that this nightmare was almost over. 

“How did he propose?” 

Her heart stopped, and all thoughts left her brain when she realized the question was directed at her. “Uh…” 

Niall squeezed her hand, “She gets embarrassed telling the story. Mainly because she’s a shit story-teller. Can I tell it?” 

The woman motioned for him to go on. 

“Kit, as we’ve mentioned, is a photographer. She takes proposal photos all the time, and she always comes home gushing about these elaborate and romantic proposals. Some people probably think that because of all the proposals she’s seen and documented that she’d want something grand and out of this world.” 

She stared at Niall, trying her best to hide her interest and surprise. He winked at her when he noticed her staring. 

“But I’ve known this woman for five years, and I know that even though she goes on and on about how beautiful and romantic those types of proposals are, those aren’t the kind she wants. Which, before I met her and before I knew I was going to marry her, I’d always imagined myself doing one of those big proposals.” He chuckled, “I like to think of myself as a romantic.” 

Anna Katherine swallowed. 

“So, as hard as it was, I had to reign that in for my girl here. I got a mate of mine to help me, and we took some goofy polaroid pictures of me with these poster boards, and each one of the posters had a single word on it.”

Her heart was hammering against her chest. 

“We took the pictures and then placed them in an envelope, and I taped it to her bathroom mirror where I knew she’d see them. When she laid out all the pictures – it took some rearranging at first – the pictures spelled out the question,  _ Will You Marry Me? _ ” 

She finally found her voice, “And how could I say no after a proposal like that?” 

They locked eyes, “Exactly.” 

Niall tore his gaze away from her, “Anyway, I was at the door already on a knee when she turned around.” 

Once it was over, they thanked her for her time, and walked out of the building and into the pouring rain. The ride home was just as quiet as the ride earlier had been, only this time, even the radio was off. 

Harry laid between Nat’s legs, hands interlocked underneath his head that was propped on her stomach and staring at her. 

Nat flicked his elbow, “What are you looking at?” 

His smile looked like he held all the secrets of the world, and for all Nat knew, he did. “Just you.” 

“Sounds boring.” 

His thumb rubbed against her bare skin, “S’not.” 

She found herself running her hand through his curls and smiling when he closed his eyes. When she stopped, his eyes opened again and his forehead creased in a scowl. 

“What?” 

“I was just thinking,” Harry’s eyes roamed over her face, “We both need to eat.” 

She smiled, “Yeah.” 

“And we typically eat dinner together when I come over.” 

“This is also true.” 

“So, and I’m just throwing out crazy ideas here, what if we both go out to eat. At the same restaurant. At the same time. And if we’re feeling really crazy, maybe even sit at the same table.” 

Her hand went back to his hair, “Like a date?” 

“If you want to call it that.” 

She laughed, “I don’t think that’s too crazy of an idea.” 

His eyes widened, “Really? Is that a yes?” 

“Yes, Harold–” 

“Not my name.” 

“–That’s a yes.

His smile was contagious, “I thought I’d have to convince you.” 

She shrugged, for once not trying to hide how happy he makes her, “You’re growing on me, Styles.” 

“Never would’ve known that from the knife you threw at me.” 

She flicked his forehead, “Shut up before I change my mind about the date.” 


	9. Ninth Commandment

**_The Ninth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Have Any Sexual Relations – even with each other – While Married._ **

_ Niall scratched his neck, “If we want to keep the image of a happily married couple, we can’t be caught ‘cheating.’”  _

_ Kit nodded, “No dating. No one night stands.”  _

_ “This is going to be a long couple of years.”  _

_ She gave him a mock sympathetic pat, “I believe in you.”  _

* * *

Anna Katherine closed the door behind her, and turned her back to Niall while she shrugged off her raincoat and hung it on the hook. She stood there a moment, still processing the interview. 

“You okay, Kit? You’ve been quiet.” She could feel his presence behind her, and her body hummed knowing he was close by. 

She crossed her arms over her chest and whispered, “You know me.” 

She heard him scoff and felt the breath of it against her neck, “Of course I do. I’ve known you for years.” 

He placed his hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to turn around. And she let him.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Kit-Kat?” 

He was right there, but she craved to be even closer to him. His hair was damp and flat from the rain, and somehow his eyes were more blue than usual. Or maybe Anna Katherine was just paying more attention to them. He needed a shave, and his lips were still chapped from when they went to the beach and he got sunburned. He was her best friend in the entire world, and he was beautiful. 

Before she could overthink it and talk herself out of it, she stretched up on her toes, placed her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him. And he let her. 

When she pulled back, he was watching her carefully, and she noticed the uncertainty in his eyes. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and, “What was that?” 

He was her best friend, yet she couldn’t find the courage to say the truth behind it. She loved him. She loved him so much it hurt, and having to pretend to not be in love with him while acting like she’s married to him was making her heart hurt even more.

“Niall, I…” She let out a breath. Her heart was hammering against her chest, and all she wanted was to feel his lips against hers again. Her eyes dashed across his face, and they landed on his lips again. She thought back to the other night, and the hurt that was in his eyes when she told him it was a mistake. 

“It wasn’t a mistake.” She bit her lip, and watched as Niall’s face went from cautious to confused, “Yesterday. I was wrong. It wasn’t a mistake. I had been stressed and anxious–” 

The words were barely out of her mouth before she got her wish, and his lips were crashing against hers, one hand cradling the back of her head, and the other resting on her hip. Her body meld against his, and when his tongue brushed across her lip, she sighed and welcomed him. 

Goosebumps raised where his hand touched her under her shirt. His thumb rubbed circles against her hip bone, and the touch was nearly too much for her. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, “You sure?” 

When she nodded, his hand squeezed her hip, and kissed her nose, ”Last chance to change your mind.” 

Anna Katherine smiled up at him, “Never. Now take me to bed, husband.” 

Something flashed in his eyes, and it made her stomach curl, “Yours or mine?” 

She shook her head, “Mine has your laundry all over it.” 

“Mine it is then,” He smirked and led her down the hallway to his room, locking Fox out as he closed the door behind them. His hands were on her again before she had time to miss his touch, and he crowded into her space, hands roaming all over her body as he walked her towards the bed. 

He lifted her shirt over her head when she felt the bed against her legs, and they both laughed as they fell against it. He buried his face in her neck, and her hands ran through his hair before sliding down his back and pulling at his shirt. 

He let out another chuckle and pulled away to unbutton his shirt and slip it off. He was on top of her again, and she turned her head to press a kiss against the vein in his arm. His fingers brushed against her cheek and down her neck. 

“Anna Katherine…” 

She looked up at him and saw the adoration in his eyes, “I know, Niall. I know.” 

He kissed her again, and then he trailed open-mouthed kisses down her neck and over her chest and down her stomach. He slid off the bed as he continued kissing down her body, hooking his fingers in her pants and pulling them down her legs as he went. He pressed a kiss to her bare thigh. She leaned up on her elbows to look at him, and he gave her a wicked smile before continuing to kiss up her thigh and finally giving her what she’d been craving. 

She fell back against the bed and gripped the sheets when she felt the slight pressure of his fingers against her. 

“Relax, Kitten,” He all but purred. “Let yourself enjoy this.” 

She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a long breath, trying to do as he said. 

Anna Katherine woke up before Niall, which was a first for her. He was on his stomach, and she wondered if he always slept like that. She usually fell asleep before him, and she was always cuddled against his chest or back. His hair was pressed down on one side, and sticking up in the front. He looked peaceful, but more than that, she was once again caught off guard by how beautiful he was. She allowed herself to stare at him for a moment before sliding out of bed.

When she came back to the bedroom, she had two cups of coffee for her and Niall. He stretched when she sat back on the bed. 

She smiled at him when he cracked an eye open, “You have a really bad case of bedhead.” 

“Thanks,” He snorted. He nodded towards the extra mug, “Are one of those for me?” 

She nodded and handed it to him. He sat up, careful not to spill it, and after he took a sip, he glanced at her. “I’m surprised you’re still here.” 

“Why?” 

“You have a tendency to run when things or people make you feel uncomfortable.” 

She knew him well enough to know what he was thinking, “You don’t make me feel uncomfortable, Niall.” 

“The last few weeks say otherwise.” 

“It’s not you. It’s the way you make me feel.” 

A smirk slowly spread across his face, “And how’s that?”

She placed her cup of coffee on the nightstand. She twisted to take his too, and then moved to settle herself on his lap. She tried to smooth down his hair, but it was a hopeless cause. “I think you know how you make me feel.” 

His face softened into a smile, and then turned mischievous, “Kiss me.” 

“I don’t just do as you–” 

Her comment was cut short when he rolled his eyes and leaned up to kiss her. 

Their coffee was forgotten. When they finally remembered it, it had gone cold, and Niall had to rush to be at work on time. 

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ Whatre you doin  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Still in bed  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ Such a lazy bum  _ _   
_ _ Want me to pick up lunch?  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Yes pls :)  _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ What do you want?  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Surprise me. _

Anna Katherine was washing their coffee cups when Niall came home with their lunch. Fox greeted him with vigorous tail wagging and barking until he finally gave her what she considered was adequate attention. Anna Katherine turned around to lean against the sink when she heard him come her way. He crowded against her so much so that she had to tilt her head back to look at him. 

“I think you lost your sense of personal space.” 

He smirked, “As if you don’t love it.” 

She fought to keep her smile hidden, “I mean, I do get tired of you from time to time.” 

He laughed, not believing her for a second, “I’m sure you do.” He pinched her side, “C’mon. The food’ll get cold.” 

She tried to peer into the bag, “Whatcha get?” 

He stepped out of her space, “You know I hate it when you tell me to surprise you with food.” 

She waved him off, “You always pick something that I like.”

“Yeah,” he huffed, “But it’s nerve racking every time. You get so grouchy when you have to eat something you’re not craving.” 

“You truly make me sound like a miserable person to live with sometimes.” She followed him to the table and sat across from him. 

He raised his eyebrows at her. 

“Don’t be a turd, Niall,” She pouted. 

“I got you crawfish baked potatoes.” 

She gasped, “Crawfish season, the season of the gods.” 

“Have you always been this dramatic or just since I’ve known you?” 

“Don’t act like you don’t love it.” 

“I mean,” He smirked, “I do get tired of it from time to time.” 

“Jerk.” 

“Brat.” 

She smiled, “Can’t argue with that one. Thanks for picking up the food by the way.” 

“No problem. Work was providing lunch for us today, but it wasn’t anything I was interested in.”

“Well, I’d rather have you here anyway.” She immediately stuffed a bite in her mouth after admitting that. Her stomach swooped from the honesty of it. 

Niall watched as Kit shoved a crawfish in her mouth and avoided looking at him. Not for the first time that day, he wondered what was going on in her head. He was able to see so much, but there were things that she kept under lock and key even from him. Though, he did like to think he was better at picking her locks than anyone else. She’s just been more difficult lately than she has been in the past. 

“Why do you do that?” 

Sometimes, the best way to get answers was to call her out. 

She almost looked scared, but he only felt a little guilty, “Do what?” 

“Say something and then get all embarrassed about it.” 

She bit her lip, “I don’t do that.” 

He gave her a flat look, “Really, Kit?” 

“Sometimes it's just…” She let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s hard for me to be completely open with people sometimes. It’s hard for me to process my emotions and then voice them. You know that, Niall.”

He wanted to hug her, but he stayed where he was, “Yeah, I do. But that doesn’t mean I understand why, especially when it’s with me. Since when do we hide things from each other or get embarrassed in front of the other?” 

Niall’s mind very unhelpfully pointed out that he’s been hiding the fact that he’s in love with her for months now. He did his best to shove that thought to the back. 

“Doesn’t it count for something that I’m more open with you than I am others?”

He wanted her to be completely open, not just more than normal. “Yeah, it does.” He took a bite and chewed before adding, “You know I’d never intentionally hurt you, right?” 

Her smile made his heart soar, “I don’t think you’d ever intentionally hurt anyone.” 

“But especially you.” 

If possible, her smile widened, “Yeah. I know.” 

_ Not The Winning Wookies _ _   
_ _ Nat: _ _   
_ _ Can we pleaseeeeee go to Colludium tonight?  _

_ Liam:  _ _   
_ _ Whats that _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Bar with boardgames  _ _   
_ _ Keep up, Payne  _

_ Nat:  _ _   
_ _ I’ve had a bad day  _ _   
_ _ I need to have fun  _ _   
_ _ Guys.  _

_ Harry:  _ _   
_ _ Did someone shit themselves again?  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Wait when did this happen?  _

_ Harry:  _ _   
_ _ When was it, Nat?  _ _   
_ _ Three weeks ago?  _

_ Nat:  _ _   
_ _ Yeah something like that  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Idk if im hurt or spooked that he knew that before i did  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ Dont worry guys  _ _   
_ _ Kit is just jealous  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Thanks for selling me out Niall  _

_ Harry:  _ _   
_ _ I’d be jealous of me too  _

_ Nat:  _ _   
_ _ Dont be jealous, kit  _ _   
_ _ Youre still my second best friend  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Second, she says  _

_ Mack:  _ _   
_ _ Are we hanging out or not? _ _   
_ _ Wait i cant  _

_ Liam:  _ _   
_ _ Why?  _

_ Mack:  _ _   
_ _ Work. gotta adult, ya know  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Ha ha  _

_ Mack:  _

_ Fuck off, Tran  _

_ Liam:  _ _   
_ _ You mean Horan.  _

_ Niall:  _ _   
_ _ What?  _

_ Mack:  _ _   
_ _ Oh yeah shes married  _ _   
_ _ But now thats confusing  _ _   
_ _ Im gunna keep calling her tran  _

_ Nat:  _ _   
_ _ Anyway  _ _   
_ _ My planning period is almost over  _ _   
_ _ And then i will be run over by little ones again  _ _   
_ _ Meeting up tonight?  _

_ Harry: _ _   
_ _ Im down  _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Youre always down for whatever Nat wants  _

_ Harry: _ _   
_ _ I aim to please  _

_ Liam:  _ _   
_ _ I’ll be there  _

_ Nat:  _ _   
_ _ Niall? Kit? _ _   
_ _ Dont leave ya girl hanging  _

_ Harry:  _ _   
_ _ Did they both die?  _

_ Liam:  _ _   
_ _ Can confirm that niall is in his office  _ _   
_ _ Can also confirm  _ _   
_ _ It looks like he is avoiding my stare  _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Twenty bucks says the married couple stays in  _ _   
_ _ Bet they wanna relive their honeymoon  _ _   
_ _ You know what i mean? _

_ Nat: _ _   
_ _ Mack.  _

_ Harry:  _ _   
_ _ Im with mack  _

_ Liam: _ _   
_ _ Another confirmation:  _ _   
_ _ He just flipped me off  _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ I was planning on staying in tonight _ _   
_ _ But i’ll go if Kit wants to  _

_ Nat:  _ _   
_ _ Kiiiiiiit  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Count us out.  _

_ Harry: _ _   
_ _ Ok but tell us if you’re about to get laid or not  _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Yeah i have twenty bucks on it  _

_ Niall:  _

_ I dont kiss and tell  _

_ Harry: _ _   
_ _ Can confirm that’s false  _

_ Nat: _ _   
_ _ Can also confirm thats false  _

_ Liam:  _ _   
_ _ I cannot confirm  _

_ Kit: _ _   
_ _ Niall. _

_ what have you been saying  _

_ Niall Left Not The Winning Wookies  _

_ Liam Added Niall to Not The Winning Wookies _

_ Niall: _ _   
_ _ Hey, Kit _ _   
_ _ Just remember that our friends are liars  _

_ Kit:  _ _   
_ _ Hahahha  _

_ Nat: _ _   
_ _ Heyyyy  _

_ Harry: _ _   
_ _ Not cool.  _

_ Mack: _ _   
_ _ Sooo.. im not getting twenty bucks? _

Niall came home to Kit sitting at the table editing photos. “Whatcha doing?” 

“Last minute things for the Jonah Project.”  
He went to stand next to her, “When is that going to be finished?” 

She looked up at him then, “The last meeting is tomorrow, and after that, if anything else needs to be done, emails exist. Thank, God.” 

His hand found her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, “You’ve worked hard on this one.” 

“Thanks,” She smiled. “Why didn’t you want to go out with the others tonight?” 

The truth was that he wanted to spend time alone with Kit, but instead he said, “Just felt like staying in.” 

Something told him she saw through his excuse, “Right. Well, once I finish up, wanna go with me to walk Fox? We can pick up some dinner, too.” 

“Yeah, sounds good.” He gave her shoulder another squeeze before going to his room to change out of his work clothes. 

Putting the harness on Fox was always an ordeal, and this time was no different. It took Kit straddling her while Niall bribed her with a treat while also trying to put the harness on. 

“We probably should’ve trained her better.” 

Niall cut his eyes at Kit, “Our dog is perfect just the way she is.” 

“Sure, and I’m my mother’s pride and joy.” 

“You are.” 

“No, that would be Alex.” 

Niall shook his head, “Whatever you say, Kit.” 

The weather had done a complete turnaround since yesterday. The sun was out with barely a cloud in the sky, and the birds were chirping and enjoying the few weeks of spring weather they had. They walked Fox the normal route – around the block and then to the dog park – and while they were leaning against the fence watching Fox run around with the other dogs, Niall asked Kit where she wanted to eat. 

She thought for a moment, “I’m honestly just craving a good sandwich.”

“How about we stop by the deli? It’s near the park, and we can just eat at one of the picnic tables there.” 

He wrapped his arm around her when she leaned into his side, “Sounds good to me. I’ll buy since you bought lunch.” 

“Did you even bring your wallet?” 

“Uh…” 

He laughed, “I don’t mind buying again.” 

“I’ll pay you back.” 

He gave her a gentle squeeze, “Since when do we worry about paying each other back? Besides, we’re married, remember?” 

Kit smiled into his shoulder, “How could I forget?” 

She took his hand as they walked to the deli, and smiled at him as she swung their hands back and forth. He shook his head at her when she let go of him only to swing around a light pole, twirling and skipping her way back to him before taking his hand again. Once they got to the deli, he stayed outside with Fox while she went inside with his wallet and ordered their food. She came back out all smiles and nearly gave Niall a heart attack when she ran across the road to the park without much care whether there was traffic or not.

Niall and Fox took the crosswalk only after he pressed the button and waited for the light to change. Kit was waiting for them on the other side, a smirk plastered on her face. 

“You’re lame, Niall Horan.” 

“At least I don’t purposefully try to give you anxiety.” 

She laughed, “I don’t  _ purposefully  _ do it.” 

He reached out for her, and she linked her hand in his, “For some reason, I don’t believe you.” 

“Probably because you’ve known me for too long. Which is a real shame if you ask me.”

“Good thing I didn’t.” 

She made a point to roll her eyes at him before heading towards the picnic tables. When they got there, all the tables were taken. It seemed like they weren’t the only ones taking advantage of the spring weather. They ended up on the hillside overlooking most of the park with Fox running around close by, but miraculously not going too far off. They ate their sandwiches in silence, and when Kit finished hers, she propped her head in his lap while he kept eating. He didn’t bother stopping her when she started stealing his chips. 

“Why didn't you buy some for yourself?” 

“I didn’t want any then.” 

“You always end up wanting some.” 

“Well,” She grabbed his free hand and pressed their palms together, “I really thought I didn’t want any.” 

He watched as she traced the lines on his hands and the calluses on his fingers. He stayed quiet for a moment, letting her continue exploring his hand before he smirked and said, “Hands, huh?” 

She laughed and dropped her hand from his, “Are you searching for a compliment?” 

“Would I ever?” 

She kissed his palm, “Your hands  _ really  _ do it for me.” 

A surprised laugh erupted out of him, and nearly made him choke on his sandwich. “Jesus, Kit.” 

She smiled, a little too proud for his liking. She pressed her palm against his again and slid her fingers between his. “Since you didn’t want to hang out with our friends, what are we doing tonight?”

He finished his sandwich and moved his bags of chips out of her reach, “What do we normally do when we stay in?”

She pouted when she realized he’d moved the chips, but he ignored her. “We always do boring stuff. Netflixing without the chill. Stuffing our faces.”

“And you don’t want to do that?” 

She shook her head and moved so she wasn’t lying in his lap anymore. “I want to do something different.” 

“Like?” 

She shrugged. 

It was moments like these when Kit drove him crazy. It was obvious to the world that she wanted something, but she wasn’t willing to voice it. He smirked, “Netflixing  _ with  _ the chilling?” 

She smiled and kicked his foot, and if Niall wasn’t mistaken, she was blushing. “I am completely satisfied in that department after last night and this morning. So, no.” 

“Completely satisfied, huh?” 

“You really are desperate for those compliments today aren’t you?” 

He shrugged, “You’re the one that told me my love language is words of affirmation or whatever it was.” 

“Fine,” She sighed as if she had the entire world on her shoulders. “Last night was wonderful, I stayed in bed much longer than I should have thinking about this morning, and you’re probably my favorite person ever to kiss.” 

He laughed and moved so he was lying beside her in the grass. “Favorite person ever. That’s quite the compliment.” He rolled over on his side and looked at her, “You could just kiss me. That would pass the time and give us something to do.” 

She stared at him, “I really want to find something in that statement to argue.” 

“But?” 

“But…” She rolled over on her side, mirroring him, “I think I want to kiss you more.” 

He reached out and trailed his thumb across her jaw, resting his hand on her neck. “Then why aren’t you?” 

He thought she was about to argue or roll her eyes again, but she surprised him by leaning towards him and kissing him. He couldn’t help but smile into it. 

They ended up in bed watching Netflix anyway, with Kit curled around him and Niall playing with her hair. 

They woke up to Fox barking, telling their entire apartment complex that she was ready for her morning walk. Anna Katherine’s back was to Niall and his arm was draped over her waist. She giggled when he moaned into the back of her neck. 

“Who’s idea was it to get a dog?” 

“One hundred and ten percent yours.” 

“What was I thinking?”  
“That’s exactly what I asked myself when you came home with her.” 

“I’m sure I had good intentions at the time.” 

“You had nothing but idiocy.” 

He kissed her shoulder, “That was rude.”

She turned around to face him, and her heart fluttered when he rested his forehead against hers. “Good morning.” 

He pressed a kiss to her nose, “Morning, Kitten.”

“Want me to take her out?”

He shook his head, “I’ll do it. I need to go for a run anyway.” He went to get up, “Are you going to be here when I get back?” 

Anna Katherine rolled on her stomach and watched as he went through his dresser and changed clothes. “Depends on how long your run is. I need to get ready and go meet Jonah.” 

He turned around after he pulled on his running shorts, “Oh, yeah. That’s today.”

She nodded, “That’s today.” 

“You excited?”

“Yeah.” Then she thought about it, “Excited for it to be over.”

Niall’s easy smile faltered for a moment, but was back before she could question it. He walked towards her, pulling on his shirt on his way, and kissed the top of her head. “Well, I’ll either see you when I get back from the run or when you get back from seeing Jonah.” 

She smiled up at him, “Sounds good.” She paused and wrinkled her nose, “Please brush your teeth before you go.” 

He laughed, “You’re one to talk. Your breath could kill a plant.” 

When she threw the pillow at him, he was already running out the door. 

Anna Katherine stretched out in the bed and watched the sun cast shadows on their floor and bed for much longer than she should have. Eventually, she got up to get ready for her day. When she got out of the shower, she had a text from Nat that bordered on an interrogation about the night before. The thought of texting exhausted her, so she opted to call Nat instead.

“Wow, a phone call.” Nat said as a greeting, “I feel so honored.” 

“Shut up before I decide to hang up on you and find a new best friend.” 

Nat laughed, “Fine. I’ll behave. Are you going to tell me why you and your husband decided to stay in instead of gracing us with your presence last night?” 

“Don’t call him that.” 

“Your husband? Why? That’s what he is.” 

“Yeah, but…” Anna Katherine wrapped the towel around her and walked down the hall to her room. She left her door open since she was the only one home, “It’s weird.”

“It’s been like five months.” 

“We had sex.” 

There was silence, and then Nat coughed. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that? Was Mack actually right?” 

“Well, not exactly. It didn’t happen last night.” When Nat stayed silent, Anna Katherine went on, “It happened after the interview.” 

_ “And you’re just now telling me?!”  _

Nat’s screeching hurt her ears, “I wasn’t aware I needed to update you on my sexual adventures.” 

She scoffed, “When it comes to this weird relationship you do. Arm’s distance, she said. What a lie.” 

“That was the intention! It just didn’t actually work out that way.” 

Nat sighed, “Fine. So does this mean you’ve told him you love him?” 

“No, but I’m going to.

“I’m not sure if I believe you.” 

Anna Katherine dropped her towel and grabbed clothes from the pile on her bed. She had the thought that she really needed to fold them, “Look, I’m going to go meet up with Jonah, and then I’m going to tell him.” 

Nat sounded shocked, “You’re serious about this.” 

“I love him, Nat. And I’m finally able to admit that to myself and anyone else, really. Niall deserves to know that.” 

“I’m a little surprised. This has been going on for so long, I didn’t think you’d ever get to this point.” 

She snorted, “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Nat.” 

“Anytime.” 

“I’m about to leave to meet up with Jonah, but I’ll call you later?” 

“You better. I want to know every detail of you two idiots finally admitting your feelings.” 

“You don’t know if he feels the same. He hasn’t really dated since college.”

“Neither have you.” 

“Fair point.”

They hung up, and Anna Katherine walked back into the hallway only to see Niall standing at the entry, staring in her direction. 

Niall never meant to overhear Kit’s conversation with Nat. It just happened, and when he heard her say that she was going to meet up with Jonah and tell him that she  _ loved him _ , he was so caught off guard, he couldn’t breathe much less move. He was a deer caught in headlights when she walked out and spotted him. 

He tried to act like the world hadn’t just been ripped right out from under him, but neither him or Kit had ever been great at hiding anything from the other. “I got back from my run.” 

Her eyes had gone wide, and they stayed like that when she said, “I can see that.” 

“Was that Nat?” 

She nodded, “Yeah, uh, how much of that did you hear?” 

_ Enough,  _ he thought to himself. “Not much. You headed out?” 

“Yeah,” She nodded again. “I’ll see you when I get back?” 

“Yep.” He took the few steps to his room and closed the door behind him. 

He heard Kit tell him bye and the door click shut, and then he was by himself reeling with the information that the woman he loves was in love with Jonah, the guy that stabbed them both in the back. 

Anna Katherine’s heart was still racing when she got in her car and pulled out of the car park. She had been wracking her brain to try to remember what she had said out loud, what Niall could have possibly heard. He said he hadn’t heard much, but something was off with him. She tried to think if she had said anything that would make him act like that – shutting himself in his room without saying bye to her – and couldn’t think of anything. Unless he heard her tell Nat that she loved him, or somehow pieced it together and didn’t feel the same way. 

She tried to tell herself that she was overreacting, but her heart kept racing and her brain kept coming up with scenarios, the next always worse than the previous. 

She let out a sigh and did the best she could to stuff all the what if’s and worries out of her mind. She needed to focus on this last meeting with Jonah, and then she could worry about Niall. Until then, she needed to suck it up. 

Her last meeting with Jonah was at his office, which was completely empty save for the two of them. She knew this meeting had the potential to be more awkward than the first simply because of their dinner together the week before, but Anna Katherine was so deep in her head, not giving Jonah or their relationship two shits, that she didn’t feel an ounce of awkwardness. By the end of it, if someone had asked her to summarize what was said, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to. Despite her attempt to shove Niall out of her mind, he was the only thing taking up space in her head. 

In the end, she was walking out when Jonah stopped her. “Anna Kay?” 

She turned around, one foot out the door. “What?” 

“You okay?” 

Both the question itself and the sincerity of it caught her off guard. Jonah seemed to notice. He gave her a half smile. “You say we weren’t ever friends, but you were wrong. We didn’t start off as friends, but you can’t be in love with someone and be in a relationship with them without having some kind of friendship. I know you, whether you like it or not, and I know something is wrong.” 

She bit her lip. She knew she didn’t have to respond to him. She could just walk out of the office and out of his life, hopefully to never see him again. But he had once been such a large part of her life that completely leaving him behind seemed impossible, even now. 

She shrugged, “It’s nothing. I’m just stressed about some personal things.” 

“Niall?”

Her silence was all the answer he needed. 

“You two will work it out, whatever it is.” Once again, she was caught off guard by the sincerity of it. “The two of you have always had something special.”

For reasons she couldn’t dwell on, those words brought tears to her eyes. She gave him a weak smile, “Thanks.”

“I’ll see you around.”

She nodded, “Yeah.” 

The drive home was one of the ones where she knew it happened, she knew she was the one driving, but she couldn’t fully remember how she got to her door with the keys in her hand and staring at the handle like it was a snake ready to strike. 

She took a deep breath. “You can do this, Kit,” She tried to convince yourself. “Just tell your best friend you’re in love with him. What’s the worst that could happen?” 

She shook her head before her brain could supply her with plenty of worst case scenarios and unlocked the door. 

Niall was sitting on the couch when Kit walked through the door. She looked determined, but that didn’t stop him from standing up. 

“We need to talk.” 

He blinked, surprised that they had said that at the same time. He froze, and Kit nodded at him, “You can go first.” 

He scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat, “Right, well.” He would say his heart was hammering against his chest, but he didn’t think a heart as shattered as his would be capable of that. “I think we should get a divorce.” 

Kit’s bag fell to the floor, and she looked at him uncomprehendingly.

“I really appreciate all that you’ve been willing to do for me, but I think it’s best for our friendship if we just end it.” 

She blinked at him, and then slowly walked over to the chair and carefully sat down. She stared at the floor for a moment before shaking her head and looking up at him, “But, Niall…” 

He cut her off, “No, Kit. You’ve done so much for me, but it isn’t fair. I’m taking so much away from you by asking you to continue to go through this scheme with me. You deserve to go live your life and love whoever you want to without being tied down to me.”

She was still staring at him, and he never imagined this conversation would hurt as much as it did. He tried to smile, “It was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it? But we’ll just go back to how we were before, and if that means I lose my chances of living here, that’s fine. I can go back to Ireland for a little while until I can come back. It won’t be the end of the world.” 

She glanced around the room and then, “Yeah. If that’s what you want.” 

“I’ll, uh, be staying elsewhere. Just for a while. Just to give us space to get back to normal.” He nodded, mostly to himself, and then went to his room, clicking the door shut behind him. 

_ It won’t be the end of the world,  _ Niall had said. Anna Katherine couldn’t appreciate the irony of it because the world she had built with Niall felt like it was crumbling all around her. She grabbed her things and fastened Fox’s harness, then walked out the apartment door, letting it slam shut behind her. 

_ It won’t be the end of the world.  _

She sat in her car and listened to her phone ring. She waited for Nat to pick up, but it went to voicemail. When she tried again, she got voicemail again. 

_ It won’t be the end of the world. _

A part of her wanted to call Harry, but another part of her told her that Harry was Niall’s. He wasn’t hers. 

She cranked the car and pulled out into the traffic. 

_ It’ll be best for our friendship if we end it.  _

The words felt like a shot through her heart, and they repeated themselves as she walked up the stairs to Alex’s apartment. 

_ It’ll be best for our friendship if we end it.  _

She knocked on Alex’s door. Fox quietly sat at her side, glancing up at her every once in a while, as if the dog could sense her heart cracking. 

_ It’ll be best for our friendship… _

Alex opened the door, clearly surprised to see her, “Kit?” 

_...If we end it.  _

“I’ve ruined everything.” Her voice cracked and the tears didn’t take long to follow. Without asking questions, Alex stepped towards her and wrapped her in a hug. 

After a moment, he rubbed her back, “Let’s get inside, yeah?” 

She nodded, furiously wiping away her tears, and followed him into the apartment. 

Alex brought her a steaming cup of tea, “Alrighty then. Tell me what exactly you ruined.” 

She took a sip, ignoring how it burned her tongue. She glanced at her brother, “Niall overheard me talking to Nat about how I love him, and when I came home from my meeting with Jonah, he told me we’re getting a divorce.” 

Alex blinked, clearly shocked, “What? No way that’s what happened.” 

She rolled her eyes, “I was there. I’m pretty sure I’m a good source for what happened.” 

He peered at her, “Are you sure? I just can’t believe that.” 

She slammed the mug down, the tea sloshing over the sides, and the racket of it made Fox jerk her head around to look at her. “Yes, Alexander. I am sure.”

He slouched against the couch, “I just…” He stopped himself with a sigh. “I’m such a great judge of character! I usually never get these things wrong.” 

“What things?” 

He cut his eyes at her, “Love.” 

She scoffed, “He very obviously doesn’t love me.” 

They were both quiet for a moment, and then she shot up from where she was sitting and spun around to face him. “I have to be at work in an hour.” 

Alex opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. “Can you believe he had the fucking audacity to do this before my shift?!” 

“Kit…” 

“How the hell am I supposed to work now?”

“Maybe you should call in.” 

She scoffed again, “Like hell. I’m not letting him win this.” 

“Win?” Alex looked at her incredulously, “It’s not a competition.” 

She shot him a glare, “Maybe not, but there are still winners and losers. Last time I let something like this ruin me. I’m not letting Niall or anyone else do that to me again.”

Alex’s voice was soft and careful when he said, “I don’t think calling in one shift because this literally happened hours before a shift is letting anyone win.” 

“Can’t you just be a good big brother and rage about Niall? Please.” 

“Is that what you need?” 

She nodded. 

“Wow, Niall. What a dick move. Can you believe him? Also what kind of ridiculous accent is that? I don’t get why girls find it so attractive.” 

She smiled, barely, “That was a crap attempt at raging, but thanks.” 

“Anything for you,” He patted the seat next to him. “Now sit back down and finish your tea before you have to leave for work.” 

When Niall walked through his best friend’s door with a bag over his shoulder, Harry was in the kitchen. Niall dropped the bag by the door, and went to sit at his table. 

Harry raised an eyebrow, “Going on a trip?” 

“Was hoping I could stay here for a few nights.” 

He balked, “What? Why?” 

“Kit and I are getting a divorce.” 

Harry dropped the pan he had been scrubbing into the soapy water, “What?” 

He shrugged, “She’s in love with Jonah.” 

“Mate.” 

Niall covered his face with his hands and Harry came to sit across from him at the table. “Let’s start from the beginning, yeah?” 

Niall told Harry everything. The two wonderful days where he had all the hope in the world. The overheard conversation where he found out she was in love with Jonah. Again. Or still. And how he confronted her about it when she got home. 

“I just feel like there are some pieces missing from this story. This doesn’t sound like Kit.” 

Niall shot him a glare, “Doesn’t sound like Kit? What do you know?” 

Harry leaned away, “Okay, well.” He cleared his throat, “I have known her just as long as you have for one.” 

He scoffed, “I know her better than anyone. I think I can figure out if this is real Kit or not.” He grabbed a napkin and started to tear it into tiny pieces. “Did you know that when they met up a few weeks ago he bought her a chocolate croissant because it was her favorite? At least that’s what he said. He’s an idiot because her favorite pastry is banana bread, and I should be the one buying her all the damn loaves of banana bread for the rest of our lives. Not him.” 

“Right.” 

Niall’s head fell on the table and muttered, “Fuck everything.” 

“Do you think that maybe we’re overreacting? Did you try to talk to Kit about her and Jonah?” 

Without thinking or caring of the consequences, Niall snapped, “Why don’t you worry about your own fucked up situation with Nat instead of mine?” 

Harry stared at him and stood up, “Right. I was about to head out when you got here, so I’m leaving. Maybe keep in mind that you came here and that I’m your friend, not your punching bag.” 

Niall watched as Harry walked out the door, and when it closed, his head fell against the table again. “Fuck.” 

_ We should get a divorce.  _

Anna Katherine was in the back room, unpacking boxes from their last delivery. With every box she moved, she heard Niall’s voice. 

_ I think…  _

She dropped an empty box by the door. 

_ We should…  _

She carried the bottles to the shelves, the bottle clattering against each other when she dropped them. 

_ Get a…  _

She ripped open the next box. 

_ A divorce.  _

She grabbed a bottle of bourbon only for it to slip out of her grasp and shatter against the concrete floor. She bent down to pick up the broken glass, somehow managing to cut her palm open with one of the pieces. She watched the blood well up in her hand before leaning against the wall and holding her hand close to her chest. 

Mack came in not long after and found her sitting on the floor with tears streaming down her cheeks and blood all over her shirt. She immediately knelt down beside Anna Katherine. 

“What on earth have you done?” She grabbed the hand that she had cut, “What’s going on with you tonight? You’ve been out of it and grouchy with the customers, and now this?” 

Mack reached over for the first aid kit and cleaned Anna Katherine’s palm before wrapping in gauze. “Hey, look at me.” 

She did as Mack said and watched her lips move when she said, “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you can’t work like this. You need to go home.” 

She shook her head, “No, I’m fine.” 

“Like hell you are. Look, three of us were scheduled for tonight. We’ll be fine without you.” She smirked, “It’s not like you’ve been much help anyway.” 

_ I think we should get a divorce.  _

She let out a shuddering breath, “I’ll clean up the glass and then clock out.” 

Mack shook her head, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll clean this mess up at closing. You just go home.” 

Anna Katherine gave her a broken smile, “Thanks, Mack.” 

“Don’t worry about it. Just head home and get cleaned up. Get some cuddles from that dog and husband of yours.” 

_ I think we should get a divorce.  _

Mack’s words were like a punch in the gut, but she did her best to hide her reaction. “Right.” 

Mack pushed herself up and reached down to help Anna Katherine, “Come on, then.” 

Anna Katherine’s phone started ringing as soon as she got in the car. When she saw that it was Nat, she answered. “Hello?” 

“Kit.” She let out a breath, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m assuming you know.” 

“Yeah. Harry told me.”

She was quiet for a moment except for her sniffling. “I’m fine.” 

“Kit…” 

“Don’t,” She shook her head even though Nat couldn’t see her. “Don’t give me sympathy right now. I’ll just fall apart.” 

“Do you want to come over? You don’t need to be in that apartment by yourself right now.” 

“I, uh.” She picked at the gauze on her hand, “I went to Alex’s afterwards. I’m fine.” 

“You sure? I can come pick you up.” 

“Yes, Nat. I’m sure.” 

“Alright, well call if you need me.” 

“Yep.” 

She hung up the phone, but instead of turning towards her brother’s house, she went the opposite way and got on the interstate. 

She parked her car behind her dad’s old truck that he only used when he did yard work or went to the hardware store to do projects around the house that Patricia nagged him about. She walked up the cobblestone path, up the wooden steps, and through the front door of her childhood home. She heard the TV on and knew her dad was watching the news in the other room. She walked straight back to the kitchen, and there she saw her mom taking cookies out of the oven. The smell of freshly baked cookies immediately brought her the comfort of her childhood.

Patricia placed the cookies on the counter, and when she turned around and spotted Anna Katherine, her eyes went wide. “Anna Katherine, what in the world?” 

She sniffed and wiped her eyes again. They were already feeling raw. 

Patricia looked at her, “What’s wrong?” 

Her mind flashed back to Niall standing in front of her, his hair hanging limp on his forehead, and his eyes roaming over her face. How each word he spoke felt like a stab in the gut. 

She shrugged, her voice wobbling when she said, “He doesn’t want me, Mama.” 

Patricia’s face fell, and she was being wrapped up in a hug by her mom within seconds. “Oh, Kitty. I’m so sorry.” 

She buried her face in her mom’s shoulder, and let her hold her for a few moments longer. When they pulled away Patricia patted her arm, “Let’s get you some cookies and milk. They fix almost everything, even a broken heart.” 

Anna Katherine wiped the snot and tears off her face, “What kind?” 

“Mint chocolate chip.” Her mom smiled over her shoulder, “Is there any other kind?” 

She returned her mom’s smile with a watery one of her own and went to sit on the bar stool while Patricia got a plate and glass from the cupboard. 

Nat was curled up in the corner of her couch while Harry was frantically pacing back and forth in front of her TV. His hair was in complete disarray, and just looking at him made her anxiety spike. 

“Harry, I need you to calm down.” 

He glanced at her like she was crazy, “This is our fault. Isn’t it? It can’t not be.” 

“How is it our fault?”

“We know how they both feel about each other. We should’ve stepped in and just told them, right? Why didn’t we do that?” 

“Because we don’t want to be meddling best friends. They need to figure this out on their own.” 

Harry ran his hand through his curls, making them even messier than before. “We’re horrible at this parenting thing. I know that us being co-parents was a running joke, but really. Look at this mess!” 

Nat leaned back against the couch, knowing good and well that nothing would stop Harry from his rambling until he was out of words. 

“We were supposed to be guiding them towards each other, not towards a divorce! How did this even happen? Oh, right. Us. We didn’t tell them how the other felt.” 

“Once again, not our place.” 

“Is this what actual parents feel? Constant panic and worry? Our kids are going to make me go bald before I hit forty!” 

Nat choked on air, his words completely catching her off guard. “I’m sorry, what?  _ Our _ kids? We just went on our first date.” 

Harry either ignored her or didn’t hear her, and really, it was a fifty-fifty chance for which one. “We’ve ruined our best friends. They were married. They were almost there. And now Niall is asking for a divorce and Kit is just going with it! They’re idiots. We’re idiots. You know what? I don’t want kids. With me as a dad and you as a mom, they’ll be screwed. 

“Oh, so now you’re saying you  _ don’t _ want me to mother your children?” 

Harry stopped pacing and turned to her with wide eyes, his ears turning a light pink. “Uh, that’s not what I meant.” 

She smirked, “So you  _ do  _ want me to be the mother of your future kids?” 

His neck and cheeks were slowly beginning to match the pink of his ears, “Um.” He ran a hand through his hair, “I feel like this is a losing situation no matter what I say.” 

She stood up, laughing softly at him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Yeah, you really dug yourself in a hole this time.”

He smiled, “Good thing you don’t look too upset.” 

“It’s because of my easy going personality.” 

Harry let out a loud laugh, “Okay, we’ll go with that.” 

She leaned up and kissed his jaw, “They’re going to be fine, H. We’re going to be fine. All of us. Just wait and see.” 

When he looked at her, there was more emotion there than Nat was willing to fully accept. She looked away, resting her head against his chest and let the beating of his heart calm hers. 

He rubbed her back, “I guess you’re right.” 

“I am.” 

He huffed out another laugh, “Bad news is, you won’t be coming over mine any time soon. Niall has seemed to move in for the foreseeable future.” 

“Good thing I don’t have a roommate.” 

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “Yeah, good thing, that.” 


	10. Tenth Commandment

**_Tenth Commandment: Thou Shalt Divorce in Two Years._ **

_“We obviously can’t stay married forever.”_

_Niall nodded, still snacking on the cookies. “Obviously.”_

_“When should we end this charade?”_

_“Two years?”_

_Kit shrugged, “Sounds good.”_

* * *

Anna Katherine stayed the night at her parent’s. She knew her dad sensed something was amiss, but he didn’t pester her with questions. He made room for her on the loveseat and changed the news to a true crime when she joined him with a plate full of cookies and two glasses of milk. She spent the next day working in the garden with her mom. She was half expecting Patricia to ask questions and demand to know what she did to scare Niall off. Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised when her mom kept to safe topics like Anna Katherine’s photography and her shifts at the bar and asking after her grand-dog. 

She drove back to Alex’s after dinner, and after filling him in on the night before, he turned on their old Nintendo 64 and turned on _Star Fox_. 

She ended up staying with him for five days, and she would’ve stayed longer if it weren’t for her desperate need of clean clothes and food for Fox. She also had a feeling that Alex would kick her out if she didn’t do it herself. 

Whenever she was at work at the bar, a small part of her – a part she hated that existed – thought Niall would show up and tell her it was all some big misunderstanding. He never did. He did, however, text her. 

_  
_ _Staying with H_ _  
_ _I think i got everything i need  
__If not i’ll text you before i come over  
  
_

She hadn’t responded, but she doubted he would have sent anything else even if she had. That morning she cleaned up her mess at her brother’s, and then packed Fox in the car and headed home. Unlocking the door and walking in, she had the horrible realization that the apartment somehow no longer felt like home. 

She unhooked Fox from the leash, and she immediately went running room to room, sniffing and whining as she searched for Niall. Anna Katherine stepped the rest of the way in, shutting the door behind her. Looking around, she realized Niall had cleaned before he left. Every surface was spotless, and when she walked into her bedroom, all the laundry that had been in piles on her bed was folded and his was nowhere to be found. 

Being home without Niall wasn’t unusual for her. She was home without him all time during the week when he was at work, but the knowledge that he would walk through their door in the evening always prevented their home from feeling empty. Now, emptiness was all she felt as she stood in the quiet apartment. Silence gathered around her and clung to her skin. She felt trapped and isolated and claustrophobic, and she desperately needed to get out. 

She put Fox back on the leash, and within minutes they were back outside walking to the dog park. 

That night, she slept in the Derby jumper Niall had loaned her during Christmas. While she was curled up in his sweater, she got one more text from him. 

_  
_ _I’m leaving for Ireland tomorrow.  
  
_

She buried her face in her pillow, and tried to stop the tears from flowing. It didn’t help that it was suddenly painful for her to pee and felt like she had a fever. The next morning she went to the doctor only to find out she had a UTI. She spent the day daydreaming about strangling Niall for having sex with her, giving her a painful UTI, and then up and leaving. 

Unfortunately, It didn’t make her feel much better, and Nat wasn’t very sympathetic. 

“Can you believe him? A freakin UTI.” 

“It’s not like he did it on purpose. Technically, it’s your fault. You should’ve peed.” 

She glared, “Natalie.”

Nat shrugged, “Shouldn’t have slept with him. Should’ve peed afterward.” 

“What kind of best friend are you?” 

She smiled and handed her a glass of wine, “The best kind with your favorite wine.” 

“I just don’t understand why you’re leaving” 

Niall threw his clothes in his bag and then turned to look at Harry, “I can’t be here right now. I’m always tempted to go home or go to the bar or to call her.” 

“Are any of those such a bad thing?” 

He ignored Harry, “Going back to Ireland will give me the space I need to get over her.” 

“Still think you’re overreacting and just need to talk _to_ her. Not at her.” 

Niall gave him a glare, “Harry.” 

“Right, right. Focus on my, what was it? Fucked up situation with Nat rather than yours with Kit. Got it.” 

Niall winced, “I’m sorry about that.” 

Harry waved him off, “Already forgiven, you dick.” 

“Gee, thanks.” 

“I’m really not going to convince you to not get on that plane, am I?” 

“Seems unlikely.” 

Harry sighed, “At least you're honest.” 

On the third week since Niall asked for a divorce, Nat called Anna Katherine. 

“I’m worried about you.” 

She was curled up in her bed with Niall’s sweatshirt wrapped around her and Fox at her feet. “I don’t know why.” 

“Yes, you do.” 

The pain in her chest made it hard to breathe. She wanted to deny it, wanted to push all these emotions to the side and pretend she was fine. Instead she heard herself saying, “I miss him, Nat.” 

“I know you do.” 

“He’s my family.” 

There was a deep breath and, “Yeah. I know.” Nat paused, Kit assumed to gather her thoughts, “Why don’t you and Fox come over here tonight?” 

“I have work tonight.” 

“Tomorrow then.” 

“We’ll see.” 

Another week passed, and she found herself opening her messages to Niall. 

_Kit:_ _  
_ _I’m sorry._

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Me too._

She wasn’t sure if either of them knew exactly why they were apologizing, but she _was_ sorry. Sorry that their friendship was apparently never going to be the same again, sorry that she loved her best friend too much, sorry that she didn’t try to convince him to stay. She shut off her phone and packed her things to head to Alex’s before her shift at the bar. 

He was working on his thesis, but she let herself in anyway. She perched herself on the chair across from him and sighed until he looked up from his laptop. “What?” 

“I apologized to Niall.” 

He repeated, “What?” 

“He said he was sorry, too.” 

He closed his laptop, and leaned back in his chair with a sigh of his own, “Aren’t these good things?” 

“No. It pisses me off.” 

“Right.” There was a pause and then he asked, “Why?” 

“He says he’s sorry too, but he’s still not home! The milk keeps expiring and I haven’t fallen in the toilet in a week! I keep going to do laundry, only realize that there isn’t enough for a load, and the trash keeps overflowing.” 

“Except for the milk and trash, aren’t these good things? Aren’t these things you’ve complained about before? I figured you’d want this.” 

“Not like this!” She shouted. 

He took a moment to look at her before saying, “I don’t know what to tell you, Kit. He left. You missed your chance. It’s time to move on.” 

She covered her face with her hands, “How do you move on from someone you never really had?” 

He gave a hopeless shrug, “Give it time?” 

She scoffed, “Aren’t older brothers supposed to be helpful?” 

“I doubt most older brothers have to deal with illegal and fake marriages that somehow become very real heartbreak.” 

Anna Katherine was quick to flip her brother off. 

That night when she got home from work, she stopped at their mailbox on her way up to the apartment. It was mostly bills, but there were two envelopes she didn’t recognize that she placed on top of the stack to remind herself to look at later. Walking through the door, Fox greeted her with violent tail wags and licks. 

She dropped the mail on the coffee table, and then knelt down to give her dog some much needed attention. “Wanna go to the park tomorrow, girl?” Fox wiggled and barked in response. Anna Katherine laughed, “Right. Well, we’ll do that before we go see Patricia for brunch.” 

She got ready for bed and pulled on her pajamas, which lately consisted of Niall’s sweatshirt and an old ratty pair of shorts, but once she got in bed, her mind wouldn’t shut off. After an hour of restlessly lying in bed, she got up and went to the kitchen. 

She remembered seeing a carton of mint chocolate chip in the freezer the day before, and that sounded perfect for a night like this. Her mouth was watering at the thought, and as she opened the freezer, she began to wiggle in excitement. She grabbed the carton and thought it was light, but figured there was still some in there. Surely she hadn’t put an empty carton back in the freezer the last time she had eaten it. She went to grab a spoon, foregoing a bowl completely. She was mid happy dance when she lifted the lid only to find it completely empty save one lone chocolate chip in the corner. 

She stared at the empty carton for a moment, and then the first tear fell. She dropped the spoon and empty carton back on the counter, and braced herself against it. When the thought of texting Niall and asking him to pick her up more tomorrow after work intruded all of her barriers, it shocked her to her core. She tried to push the thought away as she went to throw it in the trash, only to see that it was overflowing. 

_Niall would have already changed it out._

The tear turned into a gut wrenching sob, and the carton clattered to the floor as she collapsed, pulling her knees to her chest and letting the sobs wreck her. 

She felt like she had a hangover when she woke up the next morning, and maybe she did. At least, an emotional hangover. The last thing she felt like doing was taking Fox for a walk or going to brunch with her mom, but she somehow managed to convince herself to get out of bed to do both. On the way out, she remembered the mail and opened both envelopes she placed on top. 

Neither were what she had expected. The first was a letter for Niall, telling him that they were recommending him for citizenship. And the next, well. The next made her want to kill Niall. It was divorce papers. 

Fuming, she shoved both in her purse and stormed out of the house. 

Patricia had a table outside for the two of them. Anna Katherine looped Fox’s leash around the leg of her chair, and sat down. 

“You look murderous.” Patricia noted. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Anna Katherine…” 

“Mom.” She stared at her, “I’m fine.”

Patricia gave her a piercing look, and it made Anna Katherine want to squirm. “Is this about Niall not being home?” 

“What?” 

“Alex told me. I’ve been worried about you since you came over in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. I’ve been keeping tabs through your brother.” 

Tears were threatening to spill over, but she blinked them away. “He shouldn’t have told you that. That’s my business,” She sniffed. 

“Well, I waited for you to tell me your business, but three weeks have gone by, and I got tired of waiting.” She took a sip of her water, “Now, out with it. Tell me everything. Don’t even think about leaving anything out. I’m your mother and know when you’re lying.” 

Anna Katherine snorted, “I doubt that.” 

Patricia raised her eyebrows, and the look on her face made Anna Katherine uneasy. “Oh? You think I don’t know that Alex smokes? That Harry lied about Alex and him being a couple to keep our attention off of you and Niall lying about dating and the reason you two got married?” 

She choked, and nearly spat out the water she just took a sip of, _“W-what?”_

Patricia rolled her eyes, “Don’t be so dramatic, dear. Like I said, I’m your mother, and mothers always know. To be fair, I didn’t know what you two were hiding at the beginning, but it didn’t take me long to piece it all together.” 

“But…” Anna Katherine stared at her mom in shock, “You didn’t try to stop us from getting married. You even… you encouraged it!” 

She shrugged, “I knew that boy loved you even then, and I knew you loved him, too. You just didn’t realize it.” 

“Mother!” 

“Enough of this. Tell me what happened so we can fix it.” 

And so Anna Katherine told her mom everything, even stumbling over the part when they had sex a few days before Niall told her it was all over, how she still didn’t understand what happened or why he suddenly didn’t want her, how she hadn’t responded to many of his texts, how the house felt empty without him, how she just received his approval for citizenship along with the divorce papers Niall sent her, and how her chest felt like a sinkhole threatening to swallow her whole. 

“None of this makes sense” Her mom finally said, shaking her head. “That man adores you.” 

“Yeah, well apparently not enough to stay married to me.” 

Patricia waved her comment away, “You need to go after him.” 

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“This sounds like just a huge misunderstanding. You both need to sit down and have a conversation. Face to face.” 

“I don’t know, Mom.” 

“Kit,” Hearing her mom refer to her by her nickname gave her a start. “It’ll be hard, but trust me. It’s the only way this will be resolved.” 

Anna Katherine hesitated, but in the end said, “I’ll think about it.” 

Patricia nodded, “That’s all I ask.” 

She took Fox home, but then turned right back around and headed for Nat’s. She was too deep in her thoughts to notice the familiar black jeep parked outside of Nat’s apartment. She took the stairs two at a time, and when she got to her friend’s door, she used her key to unlock it and walk in unannounced. 

“Nat, I need–” There was a squeal, and when Anna Katherine looked up, she stopped cold in her tracks. There on the couch, was Nat in only her bra and underwear and a very shirtless Harry. 

Her eyes flicked back and forth between them, “What.” 

Nat shoved Harry off of her and blindly grabbed a shirt off the floor to pull on, which happened to be a flannel that Anna Katherine knew for a fact was Harry’s. “Kit! What… What are you doing here?” 

She was still staring at them, Harry now crouched at the end of the couch looking quite pleased with himself. She glanced back at Nat who was buttoning up the shirt. Anna Katherine shook her head. It was all too much for her to process right now. “I, uh. I need to talk to you.” 

They both cut their eyes to Harry, and Nat heard her unspoken words. “Harry, get out.” 

“What?!” 

“Now.” 

“And where am I supposed to go without my shirt?” 

“The bathroom, the bedroom, out in the hall. I don’t care. Just get out.” 

“I'm shirtless, and you want me to go wait in the hall?” 

“It hasn’t stopped you before.” 

Harry smirked but said, “I’ll be in your bedroom.” 

When they heard the bedroom door click close, Nat asked, “What’s wrong?” 

“I got the letter telling Niall he basically has citizenship now, but Niall also mailed me divorce papers.” 

Watching her carefully, Nat nodded. 

Anna Katherine went on to tell her about the conversation she had with her mom, and how Patricia had told her to go after him. 

“I think she’s right.” 

“I don’t even know if Niall wants to see me.” She took a deep breath, “Or where he is.” 

Nat leaned over and placed her hand on her knee, “Harry hasn’t told me everything, but I know there’s more to this than you or I understand. Regardless of what has happened or how he is acting, I really believe he wants to see you.” 

“But I don’t know where he’s staying.” 

Nat pulled back and yelled, “Harry!” 

A few seconds passed before Harry came back out, this time only in his boxers. 

The girls looked on confused, “How did you get more naked?”

He shrugged, “I felt weird only having my pants on.” 

Nat shook her head, “That’s not the point. We need to know where Niall is.” 

Harry looked between them and slowly shook his head, “Uh, I was told not to.” 

“By who?” Nat demanded.

“Niall.” 

“Well, I’m demanding you tell me.”

“He’s my best friend!” 

“And I’m your girlfriend. Tell me. Now.” 

Harry looked just as shocked as Anna Katherine at Nat calling herself Harry’s girlfriend. He slowly shook his head, “No matter how much I love you, I’m not going to snitch on my best friend.” 

Anna Katherine’s eyes snapped to Nat who was staring at Harry dumbfounded. Slowly, Nat asked, “What did you just say?” 

“Uh, guys.” She glanced between the two of them, “I recognize that the two of you are probably having some kind of crisis right now, but I honestly do not care.” 

Nat, still in a world that only consisted of her and Harry, blinked, “Harry…” 

“Right.” He visibly swallowed and turned to Anna Katherine, “He’s at Maura’s.” 

Nat twisted back around to look at Anna Katherine. “You have to go. Now.” 

“What? What’s going on?” Harry looked confused. 

“Kit is going to go get Niall back. Keep up, H.” 

Anna Katherine ignored them both as they began to bicker back and forth, seemingly forgetting the awkward confessions from moments earlier, while she grabbed her phone and dialed her dad’s number, “Dad? Can I use your miles to buy a ticket to Ireland?” 

“Hi– What? Ireland? Why? What’s going on?”

Before she could give an explanation, she heard her mom yell, “Timothy, let her do this! Buy the ticket for her yourself. Put it on the card. Take it out of our savings or our retirement. I don’t care! Just get our daughter to Ireland, _now_!” 

Timothy muttered a response and then, “I swear you women get more insane by the day.” 

“Sorry, Dad.” 

“Don’t apologize. When do you want to leave?” 

“As soon as possible.” 

“Right. I’ll send you the ticket information as soon as I purchase it.” 

“Thank you so much, Dad.”  
“Anything for you, Kit.” 

Anna Katherine didn’t pack. She shoved chargers and adapters she took from Niall’s closet into a backpack along with a change of clothes and her wallet and passport. It was the most spontaneous thing she’d ever done, which says a lot since she married her best friend without much thought.

Nat drove her to the airport, and gave her a quick hug and wished her good luck as Anna Katherine dashed out of the car and through the Louis Armstrong International Airport. 

She facetimed Nat and Harry hours later when she landed in Ireland, using the airport’s laggy WiFi. She double checked with Harry that she had the correct address for Maura’s, and after Nat wished her luck once more, she got on the bus. It was another two hour ride, and when she got off at her stop, she walked the rest of the way to Niall’s childhood home. 

Her eyes ached from lack of sleep, and she wasn’t sure if she was nauseous from lack of eating or from nerves. As she walked, she went over what she was going to say to Niall. She obsessed over it the entire flight, but that didn’t ease the anxiety that was building up in her chest now. 

When she spotted the house, her heart sped up. She stood a little ways off staring at it before finding the courage to walk the rest of the way. She tried to steady her breath before she knocked. Her hands were clammy, her heart was still pounding, and she was pretty sure she could smell her own body odor. She had half a thought to turn and run back to the airport, but that sounded more exhausting than it was worth. 

She knocked, and seconds later the door swung open. 

She forced herself to smile, expecting it to be Niall or his mom, but instead she was greeted by another girl who looked vaguely familiar.

“Can I help you?” 

All her words were stuck in Anna Katherine’s throat. 

The other woman looked at her like she was crazy, and she couldn’t even blame her. She felt a little crazy. 

“Viv?” 

Her body tensed at the sound of his voice. 

“Who’s at the door?” 

And all too soon for her liking, Niall was standing at the door with the woman. With _Vivian._ Her heart shattered as soon as she realized that this person standing across from her was Niall’s first and only love. 

It shattered even more when he looked at her and frowned.

“Kit?” 

The envelope with the letter telling him he was approved for citizenship felt heavy in her hands. The words she practiced for when she first saw him disappeared, and all she could do was stare at him and Vivian. 

“What’s going on out here?” Louis appeared next, and the humiliation had never felt so real for Anna Katherine. She hadn’t been expecting an audience when she arrived, but when Louis saw her, he smiled, “Kit! What are you doing here?” 

He squeezed past Niall and Vivian to give her a hug, and she welcomed the touch. She leaned into it, and when he stepped away he eyed her curiously.

Even given the circumstances, it was easy to smile at Louis, “Hi, Lou.” She glanced at Niall and then said, “I, uh. I just needed to…” 

Understanding flashed across his face, “Right.” He looked at Niall and then Vivian, “Hey Viv, let’s go grab some lunch before we head back to your parent’s, yeah?” 

Vivan still looked confused, and Anna Katherine had no doubt that she still thought that she was crazy. But she didn’t argue or question Louis. She went to grab her coat and purse, and then the two of them were waving and heading out. 

Still, Anna Katherine didn’t know what to say to Niall. After all the practicing and wanting and waiting, now that she had him in front of her, the words wouldn’t come. 

Thankfully, Niall spoke up again. “When did you get here?” 

“Uh, a few hours ago.” She picked at her nails, “Nat and Harry are having sex, and I’m pretty sure they’re dating.” 

If he was confused by her random statement, he didn’t show it. “Took them long enough.” 

She gawked at him, “You saw this coming?” 

He shrugged, “Harry isn’t good at hiding his emotions. Did you really come all this way just to tell me that?” 

“Just thought it was important.” 

He gave her an unamused look, “Kit.” 

She remembered the letter and took it out of her bag, shoving it at his chest. “This came in, thought you’d like to know.” 

He stared at the envelope in his hands, and then motioned for her to follow him inside. 

When there was a knock on the door, and Vivian said she’d answer it, the last person Niall imagined it would be was Kit. Yet, here he was inviting her inside the house. 

She followed him in and immediately started looking around, as if she hadn’t just been here four months ago. He wanted to walk up to hug her, but he wouldn’t allow himself that simple pleasure. He looked away, and instead focused on the letter in his hand. He wondered what had been so important that Kit felt like she had to fly all the way here. He slid the papers out of the envelope and unfolded them, scanning over the greetings, he began to read. 

_It is with great enthusiasm that we submit this reference letter for Mr. Niall Horan’s application for residency of the United States of America…_

Shocked, he had to reread the line before going on to finish the rest of the letter. He was only partially aware of Kit talking. He thought she was catching him up on the latest going-ons back home, but he was too shocked from seeing her at his door and then reading the letter to pay much attention. 

That is until he heard her say, “And then Jonah got a new girlfriend, and she’s actually the sweetest thing.” 

That brought him out of his daze, and he jerked his head up to look at her, “What?” 

Apparently that one question was too much for her to answer, because she finally shut up. He took a deep breath and tried to find some kind of balance. “Why are you here, Anna Katherine?”

Her eyes roamed across his face before she shrugged and said, “I told you. I thought you’d want to know.” 

He knew she wasn’t telling him everything, and that along with hearing her talk about Jonah, brought up something dark and ugly in him. He heard how harsh his words sounded when he said, “There are easier ways. Did you just come here because of Jonah?” 

He stared as she went from nervous to confused, “What does Jonah have to do with any of this?” 

He didn’t mean to yell, but it erupted out of him, “You tell me!” 

She was still staring at him, and she looked hurt and sad and more exhausted than Niall had ever seen her. The anger that surprised both of them ebbed away. After a moment, he heard himself admit, “I want to be mad at you, but I can’t.” 

Her mouth fell open, and then she pulled herself together. Suddenly she was the one yelling, “You’re mad?! If anyone should be mad, it should be me!” 

He scoffed, “Yeah, right.” 

“You _left_ me out of nowhere, Niall! What happened to being best friends!” 

He threw his hands up in the air, completely exasperated with the woman in front of him, “You’re the one that refused to be honest with me.” 

She blinked, “When have I ever not been honest with you? If anyone was dishonest, it was you. You apparently weren’t happy with our arrangement, and you made that perfectly clear when you mailed these to me!” 

She threw another envelope at him, and this time he recognized it. The divorce papers. 

“You didn’t even have the balls to bring them to me yourself, you ass.” 

He stared at the papers in his hand, doing his best to ignore the hurt showing all over her face. 

He could hear that she was holding back tears when she asked, “What happened between Thursday night and Saturday that made you decide to divorce me?” 

Suddenly, he didn’t know if he could form words. When he was silent for a moment, Kit shouted, _“Niall!_ Answer me. What did I do that was so awful that you had to run away to Ireland?! In case you missed our entire friendship, running away is _my_ thing. You can’t just suddenly take that.” 

“You can’t claim an entire action as yours.” 

“Sure I can when I’ve been doing it this whole time, and you’ve just been… I don’t know what your thing is. Brooding? Irritating me? Making me so _fucking_ angry that I had daydreams of strangling you? Did you know that you gave me a UTI? Of course you didn’t, because you _ran away.”_

Niall blinked, “What?” 

She glared at him, and he almost found it amusing how quickly she went from nervous to pissed. “After we had sex and you left me, I had to go to the doctor because I had a freakin UTI. Because of you. And you weren’t even there!” 

“I highly doubt that was my fault.” 

She rolled her eyes, “Well it definitely wasn’t Harry or Jonah’s. It wasn’t them that I decided to jump in bed with. Though, maybe I should have. I wonder if they would’ve ran the first chance they got or if they would’ve stuck around. I never would’ve expected this of you. You were my best friend.” 

He choked, “Were?” 

She shrugged, and did a very good act of not caring. He almost believed her. “I’m not sure if I want you in my life anymore.” 

“Oh,” He laughed, sounding bitter even to his own ears. “That’s why you flew all the way out here because you wanted me out of your life.” 

She grabbed the tissue box that sat on the table by the couch and threw it at him, _“Why did you leave me?!”_

 _“Because you’re in love with Jonah!”_ The words flew out of him, and as they hung between the two of them, Niall suddenly felt exhausted. His outburst seemed to have shocked her into silence. He took advantage of it to say, much more softly than his other admission, “I just wanted you to be happy, Kit.” 

“I was quite happy with our fake and illegal sham of a marriage, you dick.” She shot him another glare, “I haven’t been in love with Jonah for a while now. You, of all people, should know that.” 

He sat down and held his head in his hands. Too much was happening too quickly for him to process. 

Kit came to sit beside him and placed a hand on his knee, “You’re the one that is always telling me to talk to you. Why can’t you do that with me now?” 

He glanced at her, and his heart fluttered when he saw that she was watching him. “Kit…”

She rolled her eyes when he trailed off, “Jesus. Is this how you constantly feel when I don’t immediately open up? If so, I’m sorry. I don’t know how you stuck with me this long.” 

A surprised laugh escaped him, and she smiled, clearly proud of herself. 

He straightened up and moved so he could look at her, “I heard you on the phone with Nat.” 

Her face fell, and he wondered what she was so scared of him saying. “You told her you were in love with Jonah.” 

Her eyes went wide and she stared at him, clearly shocked by what he said. He took advantage of her silence again, “I didn’t want you tied to me if you were in love with him.” 

Finally she took a deep breath and said, “You’re perhaps the dumbest person in my life, and seeing as how that includes me, that’s saying a lot. I wasn’t talking about Jonah.” Her nerves seemed to have caught back up with her. She changed the subject, “Can you just come home?” 

He stared at her, and again he noticed how tired she looked, “We need to finish this conversation, Kit.” 

“Okay, yeah, but–” 

“But,” He sat up straighter, “I think you need a nap first.” 

She glared at him again, but there was less heat behind it this time. “I don’t need a nap to know that I need you to come back home.” 

He chuckled, “Yeah, but I might – _we_ might – need some time to process everything that’s been said.” 

When she looked at him again, he thought that she might truly be able to see straight to his soul, “Fine, but I’m not napping until I have a shower.” 

“Fine,” He smiled, feeling lighter than he had in awhile, “That’s fair. C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up.” 

He was in his bed leaning against the headboard with his computer resting on his knees when she came into the bedroom from her shower wearing a pair of his old joggers and an old shirt. Her hair was still wet and dripping down her shoulders, and she had dark bags underneath her eyes. Still, Niall was taken aback by how beautiful she was. 

He closed the laptop when she walked in and leaned against his window. She fiddled with the strings of the joggers and said, “So, that conversation.” 

He shook his head, “You haven’t napped yet.” 

“I’m not even tired,” She said around a yawn. 

“That would’ve been more convincing if it weren’t for the yawn.” 

She paused, but then went to sit on the edge of his bed, “I won’t be able to sleep if we’re still at odds.” 

He moved over and patted that empty spot between them, “We’re not at odds, Kit-Kat.” 

She didn’t look like she fully believed him, but Niall considered it a win when she crawled into the bed beside him, curling up next to him and resting her head in his lap. He brushed her hair off her forehead, “We’ll talk after. Promise.” 

She was already half asleep when she mumbled, “You have to stay with me, though. Don’t leave.” 

He didn’t know if she was awake enough to hear him when he promised, “Never.” 

When Anna Katherine woke up, there was a moment when she wasn’t fully aware of where she was, but then she stretched and it all came rushing back to her. She sat up and looked around, and her heart plummeted when she realized Niall wasn’t in bed with her. 

“What’s wrong with you?” 

She jumped at the sound of his voice and twisted around to see him coming back in the room, the sound of the toilet flushing following him. “You weren’t here.” 

He smiled at her, and her heart calmed down. “I just went to the toilet. Couldn’t hold it anymore, love.” 

She huffed, but didn't give him anymore grief about it. Instead she stretched again and said, “We owe each other a conversation.” 

He sat down beside her on the bed, “So I recall.” 

“Wait,” She sat up, “Where’s Maura?” 

“She’s out with some friends. She’ll be back tonight.” 

She squinted at him, “Does she know that you were a dick and asked for a divorce?” 

He groaned, “No.” 

“Oh, good. That would shatter her.” She relaxed again, “Since I flew all the way across the world–” 

“It’s not even halfway, Kit.” 

“ _Niall._ Since I flew all this way, I’m making the rules of this conversation.” 

“Fine,” He sighed, “What are your terms?” 

“First, you can’t yell at me.” 

He seemed offended by that, “I have never in my life yelled at you.” 

She cut her eyes at him, “Have you already forgotten our time downstairs? Also, no more secrets. Everything comes out on the table.” 

“You sure about that?” 

“As a heart attack.” 

“Go ahead then,” He gave her a nod to start. 

She stayed quiet for a minute and played with the hem of his shirt that she stole from his closet, “Why’d you leave?” 

“I thought you were in love with Jonah.” 

“So you say, but I’m still confused as to what he has to do with any of this or with us.” 

She watched him carefully as he stared at her. She noticed his soft breathing, the way his eyes flicked across her face, and his nervous tick of picking at his fingers. 

Finally he said, “I couldn’t handle the thought of you being in love with Jonah.” 

She went to speak, but he hushed her. 

“I couldn’t,” He took a deep breath. “I can’t handle the thought of you being in love with anyone else. I love you, Kit. I am in love with you, and this entire facade we created was killing me. Harry told me it wasn’t a good idea. He could somehow see this a mile away, but I couldn’t. I thought being your friend and then being your fake husband would be enough for me, but it’s not. It never could have been. For whatever reason, I am so thoroughly in love with you and your ridiculous and quirky nonsense. If I was ever going to be able to be around you again and not be with you, I needed to step away and pull myself together.” 

She stared at him wide eyed, and then she huffed out a breath and shook her head. “So let me get this straight. You were in love with me–” 

“Are. I still am.” 

She rolled her eyes at him, “You’re in love with me, so you just eavesdrop on a conversation where you can only hear one side, assume you knew who I was talking about, and then jumped to somehow thinking the next logical step was divorcing me?” 

Niall nodded. 

“Once again, I feel the need to point out that Jonah crushed me. I never would’ve gone back to him. I even told him that during our dinner.” She scooted away from him, “How is leaving the country even an option? Like, was moving out and divorcing me not enough space for you? Was I so awful that you had to leave continents?” 

“It wasn’t you.” He reached out to touch her, but she slapped his hand away.

“No, I’m mad at you. I don’t want you to touch me.” 

He smirked, and that pissed her off even more. 

“Don’t look at me like that, you ass. You _moved_ back to your mother’s just to get away from me! _Me!_ Your best friend!” 

He blinked and tilted his head to the side, “I didn’t move?” 

“But Harry said…” She trailed off, trying to remember exactly what Harry had said. Had he said Niall had moved or did he only say Niall was in Ireland? 

Niall laughed, “I wouldn’t have thrown all that hard work of ours out, Kit. I’m still very much still living there.”

“But, you’re here.” 

He nodded, “To get some space from you.” 

“For weeks?” 

He shrugged, “It apparently takes awhile to get over someone you love. Who knew?” 

She slumped against the bed, “And did you?” 

“Did I? Get over you? I don’t think that’s even remotely possible.” 

She stared at the quilt on his bed, and then snapped her head up to look at him, “Wait. Are you telling me that I flew all the way here to tell you that I love you when I could’ve just waited for you to come home?” 

“Yep.” He smiled, “I actually have a flight home in two days.” 

“Seriously?” 

He nodded, “Seriously. Real quick, can we rewind and go back to what you just slid in there?” 

She was still glaring over the fact that she wasted money on a trip to Ireland, “What?” 

“Something about you coming all the way here to tell me something?” 

Anna Katherine crossed her arms over her chest, “I didn’t say anything, and if I did, I’m not saying it again because I’m pissed at you.” 

He looked momentarily offended, “What? Why? I wasn’t the one that told you wrong.” 

“No, but you’re the idiot that made the most illogical decisions instead of just talking to me, and yet somehow I’m still in love with you.” 

He smiled, “You said it again.” 

She was still glaring, “Yes, Niall. I love you. Big whoop. Apparently all the world knew except for the two of us. Still doesn’t change the fact that you’re an absolute idiot.” 

He laughed again, and this time when he reached out for her, she let him pull her to him. “If it’s any consolation, I’m glad you flew all the way here.” 

She sighed when he wrapped his arms around her and she leaned against his chest, “I mean, I guess it isn’t the worst thing in the world.” 

“What a ringing endorsement.” 

“Shut up and hold me, Niall. It’s your fault I am absolutely touched starved right now.” 

He chuckled and held her tighter, “Think I can fix that.” 

She snuggled into his side, “Good, because I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.” 

They were in the kitchen and Niall was making them ham and cheese toasties. Kit was sitting at the table eating hers and avoiding the crust at all costs. 

“You’re a child.” 

She smiled around the bite she just took, and he shook his head. 

“Did I tell you that Patricia called me an idiot?” 

He slid his sandwich onto a plate and went to join her at the table. “Why?” 

Niall felt her eyes on him as he sat in the chair next to her. He didn’t think she was the only one that was touch starved since their misunderstanding. She chuckled, “Because I didn’t tell you how I felt earlier.” 

He smirked at her before taking a bite of his sandwich. After swallowing he said, “And how do you feel?” 

“There you go, fishing for affirmations again.” 

He laughed, nearly choking on the bite he just took, and then they both heard the door shut and looked up to see Maura walking through to the kitchen. She lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw Kit, “Kit!” She dropped the bags on the counter and rushed around the table to hug her, “What in the world are you doing here?” 

Kit and him shared a look before she said, “I just couldn’t stay away from your son. Seems I’m in love with him or something.” 

Niall reached out to take her hand, and when she glanced back at him, he gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“There’s just one thing I don’t understand.” 

They were in his bed, and Niall had his arms wrapped around her from behind and continued to kiss her bare shoulder. “What’s that?” 

“What the hell was Vivian doing here?” 

Anna Katherine felt his breath against her skin as he chuckled and whispered, “What do you mean?” 

“ _What do you mean?”_ She mocked him and twisted around to face him, “What do _you_ mean what do I mean? I came here ready to spill my heart out to you, and she interrupts the entire thing before it even started.” 

“If it hadn’t started yet, did she really interrupt it?” 

“Niall!” 

“Kit!” 

She poked his side, “What was she doing here?” 

“Would you believe me if I told you it was just a few friends catching up?” 

The look she gave him clearly told him she didn’t. 

He sighed and rolled his eyes, “Louis was feeling lonely when he first moved to Dublin. I was the middle man that introduced the two of them, and now I’m eighty percent certain that they’re dating. If not dating, then definitely doing the chilling without the Netflix.” 

She groaned, “Why can’t you just say fucking or having sex.” 

His mouth dropped open, and after a moment, he started tickling her. “You’re one to talk!”

She just smiled at him and snuggled further against his chest. It was only a few seconds before she was pulling away to look at him again. 

This time, Niall groaned. “What now?” 

“When we get back, there might be a few bags of trash that need to be taken out.” 

He eyed her. “How many are a few?” 

She avoided looking at him, “Three.” 

“Three?!” 

“Maybe four.” 

“Anna Katherine!” 

She shrugged, “You weren’t there to take them! What was I supposed to do?” 

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe something ridiculous like taking it out yourself?” 

She ignored him, “We’re also out of ice cream.” 

“Of course we are.” 

“And the smoke detectors might need new batteries. Actually, they might be broken.” 

“Kit, what did you do?” 

“They wouldn’t stop beeping! I might’ve deconstructed two of them…” 

“Jesus, woman.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, “Anything else I should know about?” 

She thought for a moment before shaking her head, “Not that I can think of.” 

“For some reason, that doesn’t reassure me.” 

She patted his chest, “It shouldn’t.” 

He brushed his thumb across her cheek, “It’s a good thing I love you, then.” 

She smiled again, “Yeah, good thing, that.” 

When he kissed her, butterflies erupted in her stomach. 

A few days later once they landed in the New Orleans airport, they were greeted by Harry and Nat. Anna Katherine squinted when she saw them, eyeing their interlocked hands. 

“So this,” She waved between the two, “Is a thing now?” 

They were both smiling when they looked at each other before looking back at their friends, “Yeah, this is definitely a thing now.” 

Anna Katherine looked at Niall, who didn’t look nearly as phased as she thought he should have, “I don’t know how, but I blame you for this.” 

“Gee, thanks.”

Harry reached out to take her backpack for her, “Enough about us! The happy couple has finally returned.”

Nat frowned and looked at them closely, “You two are happy and a couple now, right?” 

Niall and Anna Katherine sighed, “Yes.” 

“Oh, good! Otherwise the double date we planned would have been severely awkward.” 

They started walking towards the exit, “Double date?” 

Harry nodded, “Yep. We’ll tell you all about it once we’re in the car.” 

For the next family dinner, Patricia surprised them all by telling them that they’d host the dinner, but no one was surprised when she extended an invitation to Harry and Nat. 

_Harry created a group chat_ _  
_ _Harry added Kit to the chat_ _  
_ _Harry named the chat The Foursome_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Harry…_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _No, absolutely not._

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Mate._

_Harry:_ _  
_ _What?!_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _This was the perfect opportunity_ _  
_ _And yet, you picked that name?_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _What opportunity?_

_Nat named the chat The Winning Wookies_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _The winning foursome wookies?_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _It’s all about the alliteration!_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Not this again_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _Why are we here?_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _I just wanted to point out…_ _  
_ _That i have officially won Patty over_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _It doesn’t take much._ _  
_ _Just be a guy with a foreign accent apparently_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Hey. what about me?_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _It took you over a decade to get to this point, Nat._

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Right._

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Can i point out that it took me only two meetings with her?_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _No._

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Nope._

_Kit:_ _  
_ _I think my mom might be more in love with you than I am_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _I dont know how to take that_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Anyway moving on_ _  
_ _We’re carpooling yeah?_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _Alex says he’ll drive us all_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _You’re with alex?_ _  
_ _I thought you said you were out running errands_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _Oops._ _  
_ _I got distracted?_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _Children. Have we learned nothing?_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Relationships require communication_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _You gotta be honest with each other_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Its key to a healthy relationship_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Omg i hate you both_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _Niall, it’s official. Alex is my new best friend._

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Congrats. I dont need you now that i have kit_

_Kit:_

_Awww_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _If only my boyfriend was as good to me as that_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _Anyway…_ _  
_ _I’m on my way home now, Nat_ _  
_ _I’m bringing you thai takeout_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Bribery will get you everywhere, Harold._

_Harry:_ _  
_ _Not my name._

Patricia met them at the door with smiles and greetings and more compliments than Anna Katherine had ever heard in her life. She had cooked her award winning lasagna with homemade sourdough bread, and Timothy had supplied the salad. 

“It’s the best part of the meal,” He told them with a wink. 

Patricia whacked him with a dishcloth before shooing them all out of the kitchen while she finished up. 

The six of them were in the livingroom waiting for Patricia to tell them that the food was ready when Timothy glanced toward Harry and Nat, only to do a double take. 

“Wait,” He pointed at them and motioned at their intertwined hands, “Are you two dating now?” 

They looked at each other, and then Harry glanced at Alex. “Uh.” 

Anna Katherine sat back, leaning against Niall, and watched. She was glad her relationship wasn’t the one that was under the microscope for once. 

“Yes?” Harry made it sound more like a question.

Timothy looked at Alex, “Weren’t the two of you dating just last week? Have I missed something?” 

“Well, you see…” 

Alex blurted out, “We were never really dating.” 

Timothy looked taken aback, “What?” 

“We just said that to distract–” 

Harry stopped Alex from blurting out the secret illegal marriage, “Distract me from my feelings for Kit.” 

Anna Katherine choked, “Sorry? What?” 

Nat whacked his shoulder. 

Niall patted her on the back before butting in, “You mean Nat, not Kit, right?” 

Harry and Alex both looked flustered, “Right.” 

Timothy looked around the room, studying each of them for a moment, “What are you all hiding?” 

Patricia walked in then, wiping her hands on her apron, but before she could declare it time to eat, she took in the scene around her. “What’s happened now?” 

Timothy looked at his wife, “Alex and Harry were apparently never dating.” 

“Oh, I know.” 

He seemed to be shocked by that, “You knew?” 

She scoffed, “Of course I knew, dear. These are my children. I’m more perceptive than you all seem to believe me to be.” 

“Well someone needs to catch me up because I’m still quite confused.” 

Patricia sighed, “Fine. Alex and Harry were being a wonderful brother and friend and taking the spotlight off of Niall and Kit–” 

“Mother!” 

“–during their fake engagement announcement.” 

“Their announcement was fake?” 

“No, the engagement was.” 

Timothy blinked, “But we saw them get married.” 

“Yes, but they did it to get Niall citizenship. Keep up, Timothy.”

Timothy shot up from his chair, “They _what?!”_

Anna Katherine shrunk back against the couch, doing her best to hide. When her father’s glare turned to her and Niall, she was sure she would die on the spot. 

“Honestly, you’re being a tad dramatic.” Patricia waved his concern and outrage away, “They’re happily in love and married now. That’s all that matters.”

Timothy was seething. He turned back to Patricia, “Why are you so accepting of this?” 

Patricia grabbed his arm and pulled him to the dining room, “Because this was bound to happen eventually. It was just a little messy and illegal this way, but they’re fine now.” 

“A _little_ illegal?” 

“Timothy.” 

“What?” 

“Relax. You and I will discuss this later. Right now, let’s just enjoy having all of our children together tonight.” 

Once Patricia led Timothy out of the room, the rest of them stared at each other. 

“Well.” Nat said as she stood up, “He took that fairly well, wouldn’t you all agree?” 

Niall stood up and offered his hand to Anna Katherine to help her, “I’m pretty sure he wants me dead.” 

Alex nodded, “And I’m pretty sure Kit and I are grounded for the rest of our lives.” 

“Does this mean I won’t be invited to the next Tran family Thanksgiving?” 

Nat swatted his arm, “Harry.” 

“What?” 

“Now is not the time.” 

They all walked in a single file behind Nat and quietly sat around the table. While Patricia brought out the food, Timothy cleared his throat. 

“I was threatened and told not to bring up the situation apparently everyone but me knew about.” 

Patricia shot him a glare when she placed the baskets of bread at either end of the able. 

“Since that’s the case, who would like to distract us all from my lying children and tell me about their day?” 

Nat raised her hand, “Oh! Let me tell you all about the frog and the hand dryer.” 

Harry scrunched up his face, “Right before we eat might not be the best time, babe.” 

She slouched back in her chair, “Fine.” 

Patricia finally joined them at the table, “If no one else has news to share, I’ll update you all on Susan and her money laundering children.” 

“Wait,” Anna Katherine leaned across the table to stare at her mom, “Susan is a real person?” 

Patricia looked at her like she had gone insane, “Of course she is. Why wouldn’t she be?” 

“I thought you made her up to make us feel guilty about lying to you about our marriage.” 

“I definitely used her story to my advantage, but I didn’t _lie.”_ She gave her and Alex a piercing glance and then went on, “She called me just yesterday to tell me she ended up turning them in. I can’t imagine the kind of drama that is going on in that household right now.” 

Timothy scoffed, “I can.” 

When Patricia gave him a similar glare, he sighed. “Right. Sorry.” 

The rest of dinner went without a hiccup, though it was slightly awkward. Niall was thankful once Alex dropped him and Kit back home and they were able to shut the door to the prying eyes of their friends and family. 

Kit draped her purse on a chair before turning to look at him, “Well, that was fun.” 

A surprised laugh came out of Niall, “I think we need to look up the word fun for you.” 

“Ha-ha, very funny. At least my dad didn’t try to kill you.” 

He took the few steps towards her and rested his hands on her hips, “Give him time.” 

She tilted her head back to look up at him, “What now?” 

“What’d you mean?” 

The smile she gave him was almost shy, “How do we date while married?” 

“We take it one day at a time.” And then, he kissed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I want to thank everyone who nominated/voted for TTCOFM in the 1d craft awards. I’m truly so thankful that my little story is nominated after being MIA in the fandom for so long. 
> 
> Second, I want to remind you all that there is an eleventh and final part coming on Tuesday. There is also a Hat ficlet coming this Saturday. You guys are getting two updates this week and an early one next week because 1) its my birthday week and 2) its all coming to an end. 
> 
> Third, I love you guys. Thanks for going on this journey with me, and loving my characters as much as I do. 
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](https://thefangirlingbarista.tumblr.com/)  
>  and always down for a chat, even if it's not about my fic.


	11. Epilogue

“Niall!” 

Anna Katherine never took off her ring. She wore it when she went to photoshoots.She wore it in the shower and while she slept. On the rare occasion Nat convinced her to go to the gym, she wore it there, too. The only time in the past two years that she took it off, was when she was doing a deep clean in the apartment. 

She took a deep breath to yell again, “ _Niall!”_

She distinctly remembered placing it in the decorative plate that Harry had made in a pottery class and had gifted them one Christmas that sat on the table by their door. It’s where Niall dropped all of his loose change and keys. Her keys were almost never in the plate unless Niall placed them there after she carelessly dropped them somewhere. She cleaned the entire apartment over the weekend, and had left her ring there in the plate while she showered. She’d forgotten about it, and went to bed without getting it. She never thought it would disappear overnight.

Niall finally appeared at the end of the hallway, a towel hanging dangerously low on his hips and his hair limp and damp from his shower. “What in Heaven’s name are you screaming about in here, woman?” 

Anna Katherine grabbed the decorative plate and waved it at him. 

Slowly, Niall looked from the plate in her hands to her, “Did the plate do something to offend you?” 

“My ring!” 

He cocked an eyebrow, “Your ring?” 

“It’s gone!” 

“The ring?” 

“Yes!” 

Niall ran his hand through his hair, “What ring?” 

She glared at him, “The one you gave me! The only one I wear!” 

“Right.” He took a step towards her, “Your engagement ring?” 

She rolled her eyes, “Obviously, Niall.” 

“Where’d you last have it?” 

“I placed it in this stupid plate yesterday while I was cleaning, and I woke up this morning and it’s… _gone!”_ She frantically waved the plate at him again, “We’ve been robbed, Niall!” 

He chuckled and carefully took the plate out of her hands, “I don’t think we’ve been robbed, Kit-Kat. Someone wouldn’t risk prison just to steal a cheap ring. Are you sure this is where you put it?” 

She sent him another glare. 

“Right. How dare I question your memory.” He placed the plate back on the table, “Have you looked–” 

“On the floor? On the table? In the kitchen and on the coffee table? Yes.” She could tell he was trying not to laugh, and that just made her all the more angry, “Don’t laugh at me, Niall!” 

“I would never.” He placed his hands on her arms, “I’ll keep looking for it before I go to work today, but if we can’t find it, I’ll just get you another.” 

“No, Niall!” 

He looked surprised, “No?” 

She huffed, “I don’t want another. I want this one!” 

“Anna Katherine,” He started. 

“Don’t _Anna Katherine_ me, Niall James.” 

He gave her a look, and she bit her lip to keep from blurting out again. “You’re going to be late getting to H and Nat’s. I promise I will turn this place upside down looking for it.” 

“But…” 

“Nope, listen to me.” He waited until she looked at him again to go on, “You’re going to go spend the day with Finn. I’ll look for your ring, even though I don’t understand why something so cheap means so much to you, and I’ll see the two of you at lunch.” 

“It’s sentimental, Niall!” She resisted the urge to stomp her foot like a child throwing a tantrum, “It’s the first thing you ever gave me.” 

“The first thing I ever gave you was a hat.” 

“Technically I stole that from you, but also, I meant as a couple, you ass.” 

“ _Technically_ ,” He mocked her, “We weren’t a couple yet.” 

She shoved him, and he laughed. “Niall!” 

He chuckled, and his hands went up to cup her cheeks, “Hey, Kitten?” 

She softened on the nickname, “What?” 

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll find it.” 

She huffed, “Fine.” 

She was still frowning when he leaned down and kissed her. She felt herself melt against him, not caring that her clothes were getting damp from where she leaned against his still damp skin. When he pulled away, she whined.

He chuckled again, and booped her nose with his finger, “Go get the baby, Kit. I’ll find your ring. Promise.” 

“Fine.” 

She grabbed her purse and keys and was about to walk out the door when Niall grabbed her arm and pulled her back for one more kiss. This time when he pulled away, he gave her a little nudge out the door, “I’ll see you at lunch, Kit.” 

And she really, really wanted to kiss the smirk off his face. 

The drive to Harry and Nat’s new place took Anna Katherine a little over half an hour. It took getting used to going from the ten minute drive when they all still lived in the city to now when they decided to move to the suburbs. It was a beautiful house with a beautiful backyard that Fox loved. It was one of those houses where Anna Katherine could imagine them raising a horde of children in. The walls were lined with pictures of their wedding and of Finn, all taken by Anna Katherine herself. 

Nat’s cat weaved between Anna Katherine’s legs when she walked in, and stood on her hind legs to give Fox, who was trailing behind her, a sniff. She heard voices in the kitchen, and made her way to them as the pets hunched down and began to play. 

Finn was sitting in Harry’s lap, waving his tiny fists around every time Harry took the spoon to get more food. Nat was at the sink washing bottles and lecturing Harry about who knows what. 

“Hey, guys.” 

They all turned to look as she walked into the kitchen, and Finn squealed when he saw her. Harry patted the baby’s belly, “Look, Finn! It’s Aunt Kit. Can you say Kit? Kiiit-tyyyy?” 

Finn just smiled and cooed. 

Nat came and gave her a one armed hug, “Thanks for doing this, Kit.”

She scoffed, “No need to thank me. I told you guys I would watch him whenever. And you two are more than overdo for a date.” 

“I just feel bad for passing him off to people.”

Anna Katherine gave Nat’s arm a reassuring squeeze, “You’re not passing him off. I volunteered. Besides, I’m his favorite aunt,” she took the few steps to Harry and Finn, “Isn’t that right, Finn?” 

Finn gurgled and waved his fists. Harry offered him to her, and she took him without complaint. “We’re going to have the best day, aren’t we? We’re going to go eat brunch with Gigi and take Fox to the park before we go visit Uncle Niall at work.” She booped his nose, “Are you excited?” 

Finn gurgled and cooed some more, and Anna Katherine was only a little grossed out by the drool running down his chin. 

Harry pressed a gentle kiss to his head and ruffled Anna Katherine’s hair. “Can’t thank you enough for this, Kit. I’m going to go finish getting ready for the day. You guys yell if you need anything.” He gave them a cheeky grin before taking the stairs two at a time. 

Anna Katherine sat down at the table to finish feeding Finn while Nat continued to clean up. 

“So, how’s the married-with-child life going?” 

Nat laughed, “Surprisingly well. Harry’s a great dad. I think he’s more cut out for this parent thing than I am.”

She looked away from Finn to see Nat leaning against the counter watching them, “I doubt that’s true. Why do you say that?” 

Nat shrugged, “I dunno. I guess I expected it to be a lot like teaching, and in a way it is. But with teaching I get breaks, you know? I don’t get that with Finn. And I,” she rubbed her hands over her face, “I’m just so tired, Kit.” 

Anna Katherine placed Finn in his swing and went to stand in front of Nat, “Hey, it’s okay to be tired, you know that, right? Being a mom is a huge learning curve, or so I hear. It takes a village, so don’t be afraid to ask for mine or Niall’s help. We adore this kid and would be more than willing to watch him whenever you need a break. Heck, even Patty would take him off your hands.” 

“Patty would kidnap him and tell all her friends he was her grandchild.” 

She snorted, “As if she doesn’t already tell people that.” 

Nat laughed, “Yeah.” 

Anna Katherine nudged Nat’s foot with her own, “Have you thought anymore about joining that moms group?” 

Nat shrugged.

“Well, I really think you should. Being around other new moms and experienced moms can give you support that I can’t. You know I’m always here, but my only child is a furry, four legged creature who howls whenever it thunders. I doubt it’s the same thing you’re going through.” 

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.” 

“Promise?” 

She laughed, “Yes. I promise.” 

Anna Katherine gave her another reassuring pat and then walked back to Finn, “Is his bag all packed? We better go ahead and get going so you and Harry can start your baby-free day.” 

When Niall asked to meet up with Timmy, he half expected Kit’s dad to decline. It had been two years since he first found out about their illegal sham of a wedding turn dating, and his and Timmy’s relationship never fully went back to how it had once been. Niall wasn’t sure if that was because they had lied to him or if it was because he was simply dating Kit. Maybe it was both. Whatever it was, because of the tension between them since that day, Niall never expected Timmy to suggest that they go golfing together. Yet, that’s exactly what happened. 

He also didn’t expect Timmy to invite him to lunch afterwards, but that’s what happened as they rode in the cart back to the club house. 

“I’d love to join you, but I have plans with Kit and Finn for lunch.” 

“Give those two a hug from me. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen that precious boy.” 

Niall chuckled, “I’m surprised Patty hasn’t forced Harry and Nat to come over.” 

“She’d never put her happiness in the hands of someone else. She invites herself over to theirs at least once a week.” 

“Of course she does.” 

Once they arrived at the clubhouse, Niall gathered his things to head back to work. He needed to get back before Kit since she didn’t know about his outing with Timmy this morning. 

They had said their goodbyes, and Niall was about to head to his car when Timmy called out, “Niall?” 

He turned around to see Timmy back in the golf cart. “Yeah?” 

“Just between the two of us, I’ve always been rooting for you, even in the midst of the lies and illegal marriage.” 

Niall huffed out a laugh, “Thanks, Timmy.” 

Timmy smiled, “Thank you for loving my daughter. Now get out of here. Don’t you have a romantic night to plan or something?” 

He drove off before Niall could respond. 

Patricia picked a coffee shop that was conveniently placed between her and Nat’s house. Anna Katherine didn’t care much where it was. She was just glad it allowed dogs in their outside seating area. 

She walked to the back where her mom had said she was sitting, pushing the stroller with Fox loping along beside her and stopping to sniff every person, chair, or any other item they passed. 

As soon as Patricia spotted them, she was out of her seat and taking Finn out of the stroller, “Look at my handsome boy! Come to Gigi, that’s it.” 

Anna Katherine parked the stroller by their table and hooked Fox’s leash on the handle. “You love that kid more than your own flesh and blood, Mom.” 

She didn’t take her eyes off of Finn when she said, “This precious child is the closest thing I will ever have to a grandchild because my own children refuse to provide me with that joy.” 

“Mother.” Anna Katherine was already exasperated, “Niall and I–”  
“Are _married.”_ Patricia cut her off, “Regardless of the circumstances that led to that marriage, you two are still in fact legally married. And have been for two years, which is more than enough time to give me my one true desire.” 

She rolled her eyes, “You’re being ridiculous. We don’t even know if we’re going to stay married.” 

Her mom gave her a piercing stare, “Do you love him?” Patricia hushed her when she went to answer, “Don’t answer that, it’s obvious to the entire world how much the two of you love each other. Not staying married would be one of the more stupid decisions you would make.” 

“Wow. Thanks, Mom.” 

“Anytime. What are mothers for if not to call their daughters out on all the dumb shit they do.” 

“Mom!” 

Patricia ignored her, “Now, I’m guessing you want the chocolate pancakes?” 

Brunch with her mom went well. They’d been going well for a while now, if Anna Katherine was honest with herself. Patricia, if at all possible, had actually _chilled._ She wasn’t badgering Anna Katherine about her life choices as much anymore. She had a sinking suspicion that it was because of her marriage to Niall, no matter how fake or illegal it had started off. 

After her time with her mom, she and baby Finn took Fox to the park as promised, and then dropped the dog back at the apartment before going to see Niall at work. On the way, she stopped to grab lunch for him from his favorite restaurant, Finn cooing happily the entire time. 

Mike was still working security, and he greeted Anna Katherine with a smile and a side hug. He peeked into the stroller where Finn was now peacefully sleeping, “And who do we have here? This isn’t Baby Horan is it?” 

She chuckled, “No, this is my nephew, Finn.” 

He looked relieved, “Oh, good. If I had missed your pregnancy, I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.” 

“I’m sure you’ll hear from Niall as soon as it happens.” Anna Katherine wondered if it would ever happen. They were still in the dating phase of their marriage, which was still confusing and complicated if she thought too much about it. They hadn’t talked recently about what would come next for them. 

“I’m sure.” He smiled and nodded his head towards the back, “He’s out back, by the way.” 

“Thanks, Mike!” She waved goodbye and started walking towards Niall. It wasn’t long until she saw him sitting at one of the tables in the building’s courtyard. 

Life for Niall and her hadn’t changed much since they pulled themselves together and actually had a conversation like the adults they are. The main difference between then and now is the simple and wonderful fact that when they’re out in public, they’re not acting like they’re in love and married. It’s their truth, and one that they’re both happy with. 

When he saw them, he stood up and greeted Anna Katherine with a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning down to peek at Baby Finn. 

“He’s sleeping.” 

Niall straightened up, “I see that. Have the two of you had a good morning?”

She nodded and handed the food she picked up to him. While he looked into the bag to inspect what she ordered for him, she said, “Yeah. We took Fox to the park and got brunch with Patty. Did you find my ring?” 

He shook his head, “But we’ll look again tonight.” 

Her face fell, but she nodded. 

They went to the table Niall had been sitting at before they arrived, “How was our lovely Patty?” 

“The same,” She rolled her eyes. “Asked again when we were having a kid.” 

Niall looked up after he took a bite of his sandwich. She could tell he was trying to read how she felt about it. It wasn’t a new question, but it wasn’t one her and Niall had discussed recently. Or at all, for that matter. “And?” 

“And what?” She shrugged, “I, once again, told her our situation was unique at best.” 

He cocked his head, “What else happened?” 

“Mike asked about the future Baby Horan, too.” 

He hummed and took another bite. Anna Katherine gave him a curious glance and asked, “What? What was that noise?” 

He smirked, “Nothing.” 

“That wasn’t nothing.”

“I was just thinking, we could…” 

Anna Katherine straightened, “Wait, what? Are we there yet? Are we dating? Are we married? What are we?” 

Niall chuckled, a blush rushing to his cheeks as he scratched the back of his neck, “You know what? Never mind.” He glanced at Finn, “Have you ever thought about the fact that one day we’re going to have to tell Finn this entire crazy story.” 

Her eyes went wide, “ _Niall,_ we’re going to have to tell _our_ children this entire crazy story!” 

“So we _are_ talking about having kids soon?” 

She rolled her eyes, “What even is the real definition of soon anyway? Also, you never told me what we were, so no.” 

“One, why do I have to be the one to define what we are? I’m only half of the equation here. Two, do you really want to talk about this at my work?” 

She huffed and stole a fry from him, “Fine.” 

When he smirked, she really wanted to slap it off his face. 

They talked a little longer, mainly about Niall’s day and their plans for when they both got home. With their busy schedules, the designated Thursday Date Night had to be moved. It was Wednesdays for a little while, and then they changed it to Fridays. After a while, they realized that having one designated night a week was too much trouble. Now, they plan their week, and do date night whenever they have time, even if it’s just a quick trip to the store for ice cream after family dinners or after helping H and Nat with Finn. That week, Monday night was the only night they both had free, and Niall was adamant that they take advantage of it. 

“We don’t have to go out, Kit. We can stay in. I’ll cook us something delicious.” 

He was so sincere, and she could tell that he really wanted it. Anna Katherine just wanted a nap after taking care of Finn and meeting with her mother. 

“Yeah, okay.” She heard herself saying, “I’ll be back from dropping Finn off around six-thity.” 

His face lit up with a smile, “Perfect.” 

When Finn woke up, Niall went to hold him before she even had a chance to do so herself. He distracted Finn by talking and gently bouncing him while she fixed his bottle. She quietly watched as he fed the baby the bottle, and gave him a smile when he glanced at her. 

“You’re going to make a good dad,” She admitted. “Whenever that may be.” 

His smile still made her heart race even all these years later, “Yeah?” 

She nodded, “You’re good with him.” 

He glanced down at Finn drinking away in his arms, “You are too, you know.” 

She shrugged, “Maybe.” 

He gave her an unimpressed look, “No maybe about it. You are.” 

She relented with a smile, “Thanks, Ni.” 

Once Finn finished his bottle, the two of them went back to the apartment while Niall wrapped up his work day. She edited photos for her latest clients while he took another nap, When he woke up it was time to feed him again. After, she only had a few hours left with him before she packed up her car with all of his things and drove him back to his parents. 

Niall regretted sending Harry a text almost as soon as he sent it. He regretted it even more when Harry facetimed him. It took a moment for the picture to show up on his screen once he answered, but when it finally did, Niall saw a pixelated Harry with his hair pinned back with one of Nat’s hair clips. Niall thought he looked ridiculous. 

“What do you want?” 

Harry looked momentarily offended, “ _You_ texted _me_!” 

“Exactly. I wasn’t expecting you to call me.” He slumped on his bed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Aren’t you and Nat supposed to be having a day off parenting or something?” 

Half of Nat’s face appeared on the screen, and Harry angled the phone so that they were both in the picture. “We got bored.” 

Harry nodded, “We don’t remember how to do life without Finn. Everything was so… quiet.”

“Wasn’t that the point of Kit taking him for the day?” 

“Well, yes.” 

“We just weren’t expecting it to be so weird!” 

“And now we can put all of our energy in helping you during your crisis.” 

“I’m not having a crisis,” Niall muttered. 

Neither Nat or Harry looked like they believed him. 

“There’s no need to hide from us, mate. We know you’re having a full fledged Niall meltdown.” 

“Wouldn’t a full fledged Niall meltdown involve fleeing the country?” 

“A half fledged meltdown then. Is half fledged a thing?” 

“Guys!” 

“Right, sorry.” Harry moved so he was the only one on the screen. “What’s wrong?” 

Niall only groaned in response. 

“Is this about tonight or about something else?”

He took a deep breath before admitting, “Children were brought up again at lunch.”

Harry seemed surprised by that, “Like, your non-existent children?”

“Those are the ones.” 

“Can we start at the beginning?” 

“I asked how Patty was–” 

“That was your first mistake.” 

“–And Kit informed me she asked about any children we may be planning on having, and then Mike asked her about kids on the way to lunch.” 

“Mike?” 

“The security guard.”

“The one with the mints?” 

“Yes.” 

“Look,” Harry ruffled his hair, only for Nat to come and smooth it back down again. “As a nine…” 

Nial groaned, “I don’t know what I regret more. You learning about enneagram types or me texting you.” 

“That was rude.” 

“I don’t want psychologist-Harry. I want friend-Harry.” 

“I wasn’t being a psychologist!” 

“H, honey, you kinda were.” 

Harry huffed, “I’m your husband. Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” 

“I’m on no one’s side.” 

“You’re very obviously on Niall’s.” 

“Guys.” 

“What I was saying was,” Harry gave Niall and Nat a pointed look, “You get anxious about you and Kit at least once a week.” 

“It is not that often.” 

“Fine, once a month. We have the same conversation every time.” 

Nat appeared on the screen again, shoving Harry to the side, “And every time we have to remind you of the agreement you and Kit made.” 

“She’d tell you if she ever wanted out. You’d tell her. No more hiding feelings.” 

“Nat, H…” 

Nat cut him off, “Niall, as half of our firstborn–” 

His eyes went wide, “I’m sorry, what did you just call me?” 

“Our firstborn,” Harry said as if it was obvious, “Well, half of it.” 

Niall already regretted what he was about to ask, “And the other half?” 

“Kit of course!” 

“You did not just call us your firstborn.” Niall flopped on his back, “We are not your children.” 

“But, Niall…” 

Harry interrupted her, “You and Kit never would have gotten together without us.” 

“Exactly.” Nat looked a little too proud. 

Niall scoffed, “Kit and I got together on our own. We’re not incompetent infants that need to be bottle fed every three hours.” 

“That’s actually a very good metaphor for you guys.” Harry said. 

“That would actually be an analogy, Harry. Niall, you two were the most incompetent.” 

“You two might have nudged Kit and I towards each other, but we would’ve figured it out on our own without you guys. You convincing her to fly to Ireland is not what got us together. It was the conversation that we had, and we would’ve had that conversation even if she hadn’t flown all the way to Ireland.” 

“Someone is defensive.” 

“Yes, I am defensive because you’re trying to take my relationship into your hands when you’re not the one in charge of it. You have very little say so in what goes on in my life involving Kit.” Niall took a deep breath, “Which makes me wonder why I even called you in the first place.” 

“He actually called you.” 

“Nat!” 

Niall ignored them, “It doesn’t matter if babies came up again. When Kit and I decide to have kids, the two of you will have nothing to do with it. No one will but us. We are full fledged adults and can handle this. And I can handle tonight just fine.” 

“Why are we using full fledged so often?” 

“I knew it was about tonight!” Harry leaned towards the phone so his face took up the entire screen, “Also, I feel the need to point out that I was promised to be informed of your pregnancy as soon as it happened.” 

“ _How_ do you remember those things?” 

Harry shrugged, “Good memory.” 

“It’s really annoying.” Nat stole the phone from Harry, “You do realize you just calmed yourself down, right? You didn’t even need Harry.” 

“Heyyyy!” 

Nat stared at him for a moment before pretending to wipe away a tear, “Our firstborns are all grown up.” 

Niall groaned and hung up without a goodbye. He looked at Fox who was giving him a wary side eye. “Well, Fox. Here goes nothing.” 

Anna Katherine found Finn’s parents on the couch still in their pajamas. “I take it you two had a good day off of parenting?” 

They both groaned and as he stood up, Harry said, “One is never _off_ of parenting, Kit. I was promised a relaxing day, but there were so many chores. Plus, it was too calm.” 

From the couch, Nat called out, “We had a nice long nap, H. When was the last time that happened?” 

He rolled his eyes and went to hold Finn. 

Anna Katherine handed him over along with his bags, “Finnegan and I had a great time.” 

“Not his name.” 

“I’m so glad,” Nat sat up on the couch to watch them. “The two of you not only missed a day full of chores, but also Harry begging for chickens. And I do mean begging.”

Anna Katherine glanced at Harry, “Chickens?” 

“Yes.” Nat sounded unimpressed by her husband’s latest dream for them. 

Harry smiled, “We would be saving so much money! Do we know how many eggs we go through a week?” 

“Please ask him who is eating all the eggs, Kit.” 

“Plus, it would be a great learning experience for Finn and the rest of our kids.” 

“He says the rest as if I haven’t firmly said no to more children.” 

“I could build a little coup, and they’d be so cute.” 

Nat got off the couch and took her son from Harry, “Once again, we live in a subdivision. I’m sure there are regulations against us having chickens.” 

“We could move.” 

“We just moved.” 

He pulled out his phone and twisted it around to show Anna Katherine, “I found the best little house out in the country for us. Don’t you love it?” 

She took the phone and swiped through the photos, “It is a cute house.” 

“I am _not_ moving again. Especially now that we have a baby!” 

Harry took his phone back and went to show Nat, who turned and walked to the kitchen. “What about in two years?” 

“Nope.” 

“Five?” 

Anna Katherine held in a laugh when Nat sighed. “I’ll think about it.” 

Harry seemed pleased with the answer when he turned to whisper to Anna Katherine, “I’ll convince her. Just you wait.” 

“I have no doubt, Harold.” 

“Not my name.” 

“What are the two of you conspiring over there? You cannot take his side with the chickens, Kit! You’re my best friend.” 

She laughed and went to join Nat in the kitchen, “I’m not taking sides, but if I were, I would take Finn’s side.” 

“I have a kid, and suddenly no one cares about me anymore.” 

“Oh, stop the pity party, Nat. You’ve had my undivided attention since we were thirteen.” 

“No, it stopped when we were nineteen when you met Niall.” 

“Whatever, that’s still six years.” 

Harry came into the kitchen then and grabbed Nat’s sides, making her squeal. “You’re always my number one, Natalie.” 

When he smacked a slobbery, wet kiss to her cheek, she pushed him away laughing. Once the laughter subsided, she turned back to Anna Katherine. “Are you staying with us for dinner? I think we’re just ordering pizza.” 

Anna Katherine shook her head, “No, Niall and I are having date night tonight. I think he has something special planned.”

“Let us know when you get back home.” She didn’t think anything of the way Harry and Nat shared a look. 

“Yes, _Dad.”_ As she walked out of the house, all she could hear was Harry’s laughter. 

It was dark by the time Anna Katherine got home, and she had expected to smell whatever delicious meal Niall decided to cook. Instead she was greeted by a dimly lit apartment, and absolutely no promising smell of the meal to come. Her stomach growled in protest. 

“Niall?” She called out as she hung her purse and jacket on the hook. “I thought we were staying in for dinner?” 

There wasn’t a response. Instead she heard the clicking of Fox’s nails as she walked on their hardwood floors towards Anna Katherine. While she slipped her shoes off, Fox appeared by her side. She gave her a pat, but stopped when she felt something attached to the collar. 

“What’d you got there?” She knelt down to give the dog a good ear rub before grabbing the piece of paper that was folded. It took her a moment to recognize the paper that she was holding. Edges were ripped and creased, and wrinkles covered the page. It wasn’t until she read the top line that was written in Niall’s neat scrawl that she realized what it was. 

**_The Ten Commandments of Our Fake Marriage_ ** **_  
  
_**

  * _Thou shalt not drinketh from the carton.  
  
_


  * Thou shalt not tell anyone pass, present, or future that our marriage is a sham.   
  



  * Thou (Niall) shalt put the toilet seat down.   
  



  * Thou shalt (Niall – again) buy Anna Katherine Tran mint chocolate chip ice cream once a month.   
  



  * Thou shalt not fall in love with each other.   
  



  * Thou (Kit this time – ha.) shalt accompany Niall to all work events.   
  



  * Thou shalt split the bills 60/40.  
  



  * Thou (Kit) shalt do mine (Niall’s) laundry.   
  



  * Thou shalt not have any sexual relations – even with each other – while married.   
  



  * Thou shalt divorce in two years. 



Niall had scratched a small X by each commandment save for the last one and added a note at the bottom of the page. 

_Kitten, it’s not like we were ever good at keeping these in the first place. Wanna break one more and not get a divorce?_

Anna Katherine gasped and looked up to see Niall leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets and hair disheveled, it was a stark contrast to how it looked at lunch when she saw him. 

“Did you read it?” 

She glanced back down at the paper and then back at Niall, “ _Did I read it?_ Why else would I be standing here with this damn piece of paper in my hand, completely and utterly _shocked_?”

He smirked and pushed himself off the wall to walk towards her, “So?” 

She tore her gaze away from him and looked at the paper again, “You kept this?” 

“Yeah, ‘course I did.” 

When she looked up at him, he was much closer than he was before. “You got this wrong, though.” 

He looked confused, “What?” 

“We didn’t break _all_ the commandments.” 

He snatched the paper from her, “And which ones did we keep? We definitely fell in love with each other, and, unless you have an identical twin, we definitely had sex. A lot.” 

“I have accompanied you on plenty of work events, and we split the bills sixty-forty!” 

He gave her a look, “You’ve accompanied me to two work events since that first Christmas party.” 

Anna Katherine was about to say something, but Niall waved the paper and cut her off, “You’re ruining it, Kit!” 

“Ruining it? What the hell am I ruining?” 

“Do you want to get a divorce?” 

“Of course not.” 

Suddenly, Niall was no longer in front of her. She looked down only to see him on one knee and digging something out of his pocket. 

“What the heck are you doing, Ni?” She swatted his shoulder, “You were just complaining about your knee last night.” 

“Can you please just shut up for five minutes?” 

She balked at his tone, “Fine. Wait, am I supposed to be kneeling too? What is going on right now?” 

Niall pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “Anna Katherine, please.” 

“Right. Shutting up.” 

She watched curiously as he sighed and fiddled with whatever was in his pocket, “Look, I know this relationship is anything but orthodox.” 

She snorted, but stayed quiet after the look he gave her. 

“I never really gave you the proposal you deserved, and while this is still a far cry from it, it’s the best I could come up with.” 

Her heart was beating against her chest, and she wasn’t completely sure she was breathing. 

“Niall, what are you doing?” 

He ignored her, “I can’t imagine my life without you in it, and frankly, I don’t want to. I don’t know how long I’ve loved you, but I know I’ll love you forever. I know we’re technically already married, but,” he took a deep breath, “Will you marry me… Again?” 

She gaped at him, “You want to marry me _again?”_

He smirked, “Is that so hard to believe?” 

“Yes.” 

“Yes you’ll marry me or yes you’re ridiculous?” 

She smacked his shoulder again and then grabbed to pull him up. Once he was standing in front of her again, she let herself smile, “In what universe would I ever say no to you, Niall James?” 

He brushed her hair behind her ear, and when he smiled, it was so soft it made her heart flutter, “One that I don’t want to be a part of.” 

She bit her lip and tilted her head back to look at him, “Yes, I’ll marry you again. I’ll marry you as many times as you need me to.” 

He let out a breath, almost as if he had thought there was a chance she’d ever say no to him, and pulled her close. 

They had kissed a thousand times since their first kiss at their engagement party where they were surrounded by their friends. Her stomach didn’t swoop low every time now. Her heart didn’t jump in her throat at the thought of it. But no matter what, contentment always thrummed underneath her skin. 

This time when he leaned down to kiss her, she felt all three of those things happen. It was easy for her to get lost, easy for her to forget everything else around them, and only focus on him. 

Well, almost. 

“Wait,” She pulled back. “What were you fidgeting with in your pocket?” 

“Oh!” Niall dug in his pocket again, and when he found what he was looking for pulled it out. There, laying in the palm of his hand, was the engagement ring Niall had first given her. 

“My ring!” She grabbed it to inspect it, “Where did you find it?” 

“Well,” He scratched the back of his neck, “I took it while you were in the shower last night.” 

“You _what!?”_

He shrugged, “I needed it for this.” 

Niall took it from her, and gently slid it back on her finger. “Besides, I would never be that calm if you lost it. It belonged to my great-gran.” 

She yanked her hand out of his, “You told me it was cheap! That you bought it!” 

“Well, it _is_ cheap. I’m sure if you brought it to a pawn shop, it would be worth close to nothing.” 

“You lied.” 

He nodded, “I did, but you wouldn’t have accepted it had you known the truth.” 

Instead of arguing with him more, she kissed him again. He didn’t seem to mind. 

Niall was leaning against their headboard while Kit propped herself against him. He played with the ends of her damp hair while she stared at the paper in front of her. 

“We really were shit at following these commandments.” 

“I never drank from the carton after that first time.”

She gently elbowed him in the gut, and Niall wasn’t entirely sure if it was on purpose or not. “I never caught you, but I know you still do it.” 

“How?” 

She twisted her neck to look up at him, “We run out of milk at an alarming rate, and yet there are never any glasses in the sink.” 

“For all you know, I wash them immediately after.” 

She snorted, “Yeah, okay.” 

He reached around her and pointed to the fourth commandment, “I did this one!” 

“You did not.” She swatted his hand away, “The month you moved to Ireland, I was ice cream-less.” 

This time, he was the one who snorted, “You poor baby.” 

“It was a very traumatic time for me.” 

His gut twisted at the memory, and he leaned to press a kiss against her hair, “M’sorry, Kit.” 

She leaned further into him, “It’s worth it since we figured ourselves out. So we only kept the one about the bills.” 

He cleared his throat, “Well…” 

She twisted around to peer at him, “What?” 

“Since we’re getting re-married and I already came clean about the ring, I feel like now is the perfect time to admit another small and tiny fib.” 

She leaned away from him, “...What?”

“We might not have been splitting the bills sixty-forty.” 

He did his best not to smile when she blinked, clearly confused. “What do you mean?” 

“I might’ve already been paying more than you before you made that rule.” He cleared his throat, “Now is also a good time to reiterate that what’s mine is yours and yours is mine. So, really, it’s fine.” 

She stared at him. “So how much of the rent am I currently paying?” 

“Uh,” He scratched his jaw, “Twenty percent?” 

She balked, “ _Twenty percent?!_ Why didn’t you tell me you were already paying more when I came up with this rule?” 

“I needed you to marry me! I wasn’t going to piss you off right then.” 

She huffed, “You always only wanted me for your citizenship.” 

He kissed her forehead, “Not true, but also this is the reason we’re getting re-married.” 

She flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Niall watched as she processed that she was only paying for twenty percent of the rent. After a few moments, she started laughing. 

“What?” 

“You could’ve kept this secret your entire life. I never would’ve known.”

“Yeah, but it’s been eating me up. I’ve been keeping this from you since you first moved in. I was afraid you’d find out and get offended.” 

She laughed again, “How would I find out?” 

“You know the cost of rent! You could easily do the math and figure out that you’re definitely not paying forty percent.” 

She snorted, “As if I’d ever take the mental energy to do that useless kind of math.” 

He laughed, “Of course. Should’ve known.” 

She rolled over and draped her arm over his stomach, “Thanks, Niall.” 

He gave her a questioning look, “For what?” 

“For always trying to take care of me even at the risk of me yelling at you.” 

“You don’t make it easy.” 

She gave a half-hearted shrug, “If I made it easy, anyone could do it.” 

He chuckled, “Right. Lucky me.” 

She smiled, wide and all teeth, “Lucky you. Now, I think we should make a new list of commandments.” 

She rolled on top of him to grab one of the pens he always kept at his bedside table and a paper from his drawer. She leaned against him, and hummed when he wrapped an arm around her. She clicked the pen, _“The Ten Commandments of Our Actual Marriage.”_

Niall laughed and then, “What’s the first one then?” 

“Never, ever lie – especially about the rent – unless it’s for a surprise.” She laughed at herself. “Kidding. The first one will be, _Both shall know, respect, and show the other love through their love language.”_

He tightened his arm around her, “Hey, Kit?” 

“Hm?” 

“I love you.” 

Her smile grew as she wrote down their new commandments, “I love you too, Niall James.” 

It was a few days later while he was paying bills when she came into the office, which had once been her bedroom, and declared, “We’re going to the court house.” 

Niall paused what he was doing and spun the chair around, “Pardon?” 

She sighed as if it was his fault for not following, “I’ve been thinking, and if we’re making this marriage legit or whatever, it’s probably time I change my last name.” 

That took him by surprise, “Really?” 

He watched as Kit walked closer to him and perched on the arm of the chair they had moved to the room only a few months before. She nodded, “Yeah.” 

“I figured you’d want to keep yours.” 

She was quiet for a moment, and Niall sat back and waited for her to say whatever was on her mind. 

“There are two origins for a woman taking a man’s name in marriage. The first makes me want to scream because it diluted women to nothing more than property. But the other says it’s because the husband and wife become one person in flesh and blood.” She gave a small shrug, “I know you would never view me as something you own, and I don’t view you that way either. We’re husband and wife in all the ways that matter, and after a really messy journey, we chose this life together. I know changing my name wouldn’t change any of that, not really, but I want the world to know that I chose you and that I’m proud to be yours.” 

He rolled the chair over so he was directly in front of her and took her hands in his, “Are you getting sappy on me, Kit?” 

She laughed, and he could hear the emotion in it that she was trying so hard to hide. “You make me soft.” 

“Nah,” He shook his head. “I just know your secret.” 

“And what secret would that be?” 

He smirked, “That you feel things a lot more deeply and thoroughly than you lead people to believe.” 

She turned her hands over and traced her fingers over his palms, “So, you’re coming with me to the court house?” 

“Of course I am.” 

“Good.” Her smile was radiant. “We can go on Monday.” 

_Kit created a group_ _  
_ _Kit added Mama and Pops to the group_ _  
_ _Kit named the group Fam Bam Plus Some_ _  
_ _Kit:_ _  
_ _Hello all._

_Alex:_ _  
_ _What is this_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _Look, ma, i’ve made it._

_Nat:_ _  
_ _I need yall to know that he really took a screenshot_ _  
_ _And sent it to his mom_

_Pops:_ _  
_ _Patricia, your children are acting up again._

_Mama:_ _  
_ _Timmy, they are our children_ _  
_ _What is this?_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _It’s a group chat, Patty._

_Alex:_ _  
_ _This group is going to be chaos_

_Mama:_ _  
_ _Is there a reason this is happening?_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _There is always a reason_ _  
_ _We just usually think the reason isnt worth it_

_Harry:_ _  
_ _Dont let her grumpiness fool you_ _  
_ _She lives for the groupchats._

_Kit:_ _  
_ _Anyway._ _  
_ _Hi. hey. Hello. It is I, Anna Katherine._

_Alex:_ _  
_ _And here comes the drama_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _We, Niall and I, have decided to host a family dinner_

_Alex:_ _  
_ _Are those still a thing?_ _  
_ _When was the last time we had one_

_Mama:_ _  
_ _Three months ago._ _  
_ _Apparently my children are too busy for me now_ _  
_ _They’re willing to let me grow old all alone._

_Alex:_ _  
_ _My God, there’s two of them._

_Pops:_ _  
_ _I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again_ _  
_ _They are the same person._

_Kit:_ _  
_ _Being attacked by my family is not why i came here_ _  
_ _Does Saturday evening work for everyone?_ _  
_ _Niall and I have something we would like to announce._

_Mama:_ _  
_ _ARE YOU PREGNANT_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _Is Finn about to have a cousin?_

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Guys. Come on._

_Kit:_ _  
_ _No._

_Pops:_ _  
_ _We’ll be there_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _Thank you, dad._

_Harry:_ _  
_ _Of course my family and I will be there_ _  
_ _With bells and whistles_

_Nat:_ _  
_ _He’s joking._ _  
_ _About the bells and whistles._ _  
_ _But we will be there._

_Alex:_ _  
_ _Im guessing i dont have a choice?_

_Kit:_ _  
_ _No._

_Harry:_ _  
_ _I’ll kidnap you if I must._

_Mama:_ _  
_ _Don’t be silly, Alexander._

_Alex:_ _  
_ _Ok ok ok geez._ _  
_ _I’ll be there._

_Niall:_ _  
_ _Kit and I thank you all._ _  
_ _See you then!_

Anna Katherine threw her phone down on the couch, “I am so sick of everyone asking about babies.”

Niall’s head was in her lap, his phone raised above his head as he continued to text in the group. “They mean well.” 

“Maybe, but they’re putting so much pressure on us. It’s like as soon as a couple gets married, they are immediately bombarded with questions about children. Like, give a couple room to breathe! I thought that since ours is so… odd we might get around that. But these people continue to prove me wrong.” 

He cut his eyes at her over his phone, “The only opinions that matter on whether or not we have children are yours and mine. Ignore everyone else.”

She started running her fingers through his hair, “Easy for you to say.” 

He dropped his phone on his stomach and watched her for a moment. “You know I’m not pressuring you, right?” 

“Of course.” 

“And as much as I want to be a dad and build a family with you, we’ll only do that when you’re ready.” 

Her hand stilled in his hair, “What if I’m never ready?”

“Do you remember what you asked when we first got together?” When she gave him a blank look, he went on, “You asked how we would handle dating while married, and I said–” 

She smiled, “You said we’ll take it one day at a time.” 

His returning smile made her stomach curl, “That still stands. One day at a time, Kit. We don’t need to stress about the future because the future isn’t here yet. But,” He grabbed her free hand and linked their fingers together, “For whatever it’s worth, I think you’d be a great mom.” 

She started running her fingers through his hair again, “How do you do that?” 

“What?” 

“Figure out what’s really bothering me in a matter of seconds?” 

“I’ve known you for over seven years, Kit.” He sat up, taking her hand with him and pulling her close. “You have this fear of being known, which is such a contradiction to your need of being known. You think you’re this big mystery, but you’re an open book to those that you love. You’re terrified of parenthood because it's such a huge responsibility, but you’re forgetting that we’ll tackle it together. Just like everything else.” 

She smiled and let herself fall against him. “Well, when you put it like that.” 

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, “Whenever you’re ready, Kit. Not a moment sooner.” 

Kit uncluttered the apartment while Niall cooked. He was aware of her flitting around their home as she picked up and danced along to her cleaning playlist. Fox stayed on the couch with her head propped on the arm and kept an eye on the both of them in between her naps. It was hard for him to believe that they’ve had Fox for two years. The day he brought her home felt like both another lifetime and just yesterday. Back then, he never would have dreamed that his crazy idea to stay in the country would have led to him staying married to his best friend. And yet, here they were. 

He was still thinking back to the dinner when they first told her family they were engaged when Kit came back in the kitchen and pulled herself up to sit on the counter. 

She reached out and poked him with her toes, “What’s going on in that head of yours?” 

He stepped away from the stove and made himself at home between her legs, his hands resting on her thighs, “That one family dinner when Fox ate Patty’s pie.” 

She smiled, “You mean the one when we first told them we were engaged?” 

Her hands were in his hair when he nodded, “Yeah, that’s the one.” 

He closed his eyes while she played with his hair, and once she stopped he cracked them back open to see her staring at him. “We’ve had quite the journey since then, haven’t we?” 

He took her in, the pink of her cheeks, the golden flecks in her brown eyes, the way her smile twitched when she realized he was staring at her. “Never thought it would end with us here.” 

She smirked, “Ye of little faith. I never doubted it.” 

He laughed and shook his head, “Oh, sure. That’s why you were so honest about your feelings from the beginning, right?” 

She nodded, pretending to be completely serious, “Exactly. You’re the one that was so scared of your emotions.” 

“Well,” He brushed her hair away from her cheek, “You’re not completely wrong about that.” 

Her hands fell to his shoulders, “Do they scare you now?” 

“Sometimes,” His honesty seemed to catch her off guard. “I’ve never loved someone like I love you, Kit-Kat. Sometimes it hits me just how much I love you and just how uncertain anyone’s future is. That’s when it scares me.” 

Her hands trailed down his arms to his hands, and linked their fingers together. “I don’t want a future without you in it.” 

“If I have any say about it, you don’t have to worry about that.” 

Her smile was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, “Good.” 

Harry and his little family were the first to show up for their family dinner, Alex trailing behind Nat with baby Finn and the diaper bag. It seemed Harry hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d kidnap Alex if he needed to. 

The apartment went from peaceful to chaotic as soon as they walked in, and it only intensified when Timmy and Patty arrived. Patty fought Alex for the baby, but no one was surprised when Patty ended up holding Finn while dinner finished. 

Kit stayed close to Niall most of the night, which wasn’t completely out of the norm, but she was being slightly more needy than normal. When everyone else was busy watching Finn, he tapped her hand, “You good?” 

She shrugged, “It’s silly that I’m a little nervous, right? Like, we’re already married.” 

He chuckled, “Yeah, but as far as they know, it’s still all a lie. Tonight we’re telling them we’re not getting a divorce. It’s weird and unorthodox, and it’s completely okay that you’re nervous.” 

“Are you nervous?” 

“Nah, not at all.” 

That seemed to piss her off, and she pinched him, “That’s not fair.” 

He shrugged, “I’m just not worried about how they’ll react. Besides, their responses aren’t going to change the way I feel about you.” 

She huffed, “I want to be mad, but that was sweet.” 

He smiled, “That was the plan.” 

“Gah, you’re the worst.” 

He leaned in for a kiss, and when they both pulled away, he was still smiling. “Maybe, but you love me regardless.” 

“Yeah, I do.” 

His smile widened. Even after a year and a half, he didn’t think he’d ever tire of her affirming her love for him. 

Once dinner was ready, they all sat around the table, which was slowly growing more crowded. Patty insisted on holding Finn throughout the dinner even when Nat said repeatedly she wouldn’t mind holding him. It went smoothly, and soon Niall was glancing a look at Kit and clearing his throat.

“I’m sure all of you are wondering what our announcement is.” 

He noticed Nat and Harry glancing at each other and Alex wiggling his eyebrows at Kit, who kicked him under the table. 

Timmy was smiling, “Of course. You’ve dragged this out long enough.” 

He chuckled, “The thing is, everyone at this table knows the truth behind the reason we first got married, and well, if we weren’t already married, this would be the night we would be announcing our engagement.” 

Kit held his hand and gave it a squeeze. 

“Instead, we’re announcing that we’re renewing our vows, and we want you all to be a part of it.” 

Patricia let out an exasperated sigh, “Is this really necessary?” 

Niall glanced at Kit just in time to see her roll her eyes. “Mom, you could at least pretend to be excited for us.” 

“At least now maybe I’ll have more than Harry’s baby to dote on.” 

Nat huffed, “Harry’s baby, she says.” 

“Patty, we’ve talked about this.” 

“Yes, you’re waiting. I’m well aware, Niall.” 

He gave Patty a careful look, “And we won’t be pressuring anyone, right?” 

She gave another sigh, “Yes, Niall.” 

Kit bumped shoulders with him in silent gratitude. 

Harry rested his elbows on the table, “So, I take it the proposal went well?” 

Kit straightened, “You knew?” 

“Yeah. Nat was certain I was going to ruin the surprise.” 

She glanced around the table, “Who else knew this was happening?” 

“I knew, I just didn’t know when.” 

“He informed me the morning it happened while we golfed.” 

“I knew nothing, and as the older brother, I am truly offended.” 

Harry reached to pat Alex’s hand, “To be fair, you never answer your phone.” 

“Because usually it’s you facetiming me to show me Finn’s spit up or dirty diaper.” 

“I only did that once.” 

“And once was more than enough.” 

Kit poked Niall’s arm, “So I was the only one in the dark about this?” 

“I very well couldn’t tell you if it was supposed to be a surprise, Kit.” 

“So this was your third lie.” 

Patty gasped, “Niall is not a liar.” 

They both ignored Patty. Niall cocked an eyebrow, “Wouldn’t the ring and the proposal be lumped in together as one?” 

“No.” 

“Well, is it really a lie if I was simply hiding it from you in order to make it special for you?” 

She smiled, “Yes, but one that’s forgivable.” 

He took a page from his wife’s book, and placed a hand over his heart in mock relief, “Oh, good. I was so worried.” 

She poked him again at his sarcasm. 

After they shared a smile, she asked the table, “Now that we’ve got that out of the way,” Kit gave them all a pointed look, “Who wants pie?” 

Niall went with her to get the pie and cut it for everyone, but when they walked in the kitchen, Fox was standing on her hindlegs with her face covered in pie and the pan nearly empty. 

They shared a look. Niall smiled, “Well, I guess some things never change.” 

Kit laughed, “I guess not.” 

When they went back empty handed, and a guilty looking Fox, Niall asked, “Is everyone okay with going out to get ice cream? We seem to have created a pie enthusiast.” 

Niall went with Harry and Liam when they went to pick Louis up from the airport the day before the ceremony. The three of them met him by the baggage claim, and when they spotted each other, Louis had two suitcases. 

He smirked at Niall, “Who knew you were such a romantic. Renewing your vows after only two years!” 

He pulled Niall in a hug with a chuckle. When they pulled a part, Niall gave him a shrug, “What can I say? I’m in love.” 

Louis looked at the other boys, “Longest honeymoon period ever.” 

Harry and Niall shared a look while Liam went to help Louis with one of his bags. When they started walking to the car, Niall found himself next to Louis, and it didn’t take long for his friend to drape an arm over his shoulder. “Glad you and your Kit pulled yourselves together. When you showed up in Ireland without her, I was worried this marriage wouldn’t last.” 

Niall scratched his jaw and chuckled, “Yeah, I was a little worried then, too.” 

“And you were so secretive about it all. You never did tell me what happened between the two of you.” 

“Uh,” Niall shot a glance at Harry, but he was too busy laughing at Liam to help him out. “We just had a lot of miscommunication.” 

Louis nodded, “Well, as long as you two worked it out. That’s all I care about.” 

Niall went to change the subject, “How’re you and Viv?” 

Louis groaned, “She keeps dropping hits, mate. Not even subtle ones, either. She sent me a picture of an engagement ring and then was like, ‘ _Oops wrong person.’”_

When Niall laughed, Louis shoved him away.

The second ceremony was small. Patricia and Timothy volunteered their backyard, and they all hoped and prayed that the weather held out long enough for them to have a nice day outside. The guests were few, only their closest friends were invited, and Niall’s mom flew in from Ireland. They told everyone they just wanted to renew their vows, and only the select few knew the truth. 

Anna Katherine was alone in her childhood bedroom as she stood at the window and watched everyone laugh and talk before the ceremony began. Nat had gone to feed Finn, and Patricia went to take care of a catering mishap. Maura, the angel that she is, saw that she needed time to breathe, and left the room with a wink. 

It was only a few moments of peaceful solitude before there was a gentle knock on the door. Before she could answer, it creaked open and Niall popped his head in. 

“Aren’t the boys supposed to be making sure you don’t wander off?” 

He shrugged, “Louis was distracted by a call with Viv. Liam went to help Mack with the champagne, and Harry turned a blind eye.” 

He walked the rest of the way in, softly shutting the door behind him. 

“I would say it’s bad luck to see me before the wedding, but…” 

“We never did anything by the book.” His eyes roamed over her, and she felt herself blush under his stare. “No meltdowns this time around?” 

She shook her head, “Not in the slightest.” 

He nodded, “You look beautiful, Kit.” 

She walked the rest of the way to him, and when she was close enough, he reached out to hold her hands. She took him in, the blue of his eyes, the scruff he refused to shave, the moles that speckled his neck, and the feeling of his calloused hands on hers. 

He lifted his mouth in a half smile, “Last chance to change your mind.” 

She lifted his hand up to press a kiss against his knuckles, “Never.” 

**_The Ten Commandments of Our Actual Marriage:_ **

  * _Both shall know, respect, and show the other love through their love language.  
  
_


  * ~~We will pay all bills fifty-fifty~~  
Niall is a liar and his punishment is that he has to continue paying eighty percent of the rent.  
  



  * Every Thanksgiving will be spent with the Tran family, and every Christmas and New Years will be spent with the Horan’s.   
  



  * Thursday night date night will never stop being a thing.   
  



  * We will choose to love each other even when it’s hard.   
  



  * ~~We will share Fox Bath Duty.~~  
 ~~Kit will bathe Fox every Monday.~~   
Niall will bathe Fox every Monday since he’s the idiot that adopted her.   
  



  * We will both be honest about how we are feeling, even if it seems impossible.   
  



  * Listen. Apologize. Forgive.   
  

  * Grow with each other.   
(adapt as we both change)  
  

  * _I love you. - AKH_ _  
_ _I love you back. -NJH_



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos, commented, or simply gave this story a chance. The 1dff community is always so welcoming and encouraging when I pop back in after being MIA, and this time was no different. 
> 
> I hope I gave you all (and the characters) the conclusion you needed. Keep an eye out on tumblr for more ficlets, and if you want to come talk to me about this fic on tumblr, i'm always down to cry over my characters. 
> 
> ALSO! Thank you to everyone who nominated this fic, Harry and Nat, and Niall and Kit for the 1d craft awards. Y'all are amazing.

**Author's Note:**

> come chat with me on tumblr [thefangirlingbarista](https://thefangirlingbarista.tumblr.com/)
> 
> sidenote: the chapters get longer after this one.


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